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WALTER CAMP and LORIN F. DELAND 





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BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 

1896 






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Copyright, 1896, 
By WALTER CAMP and LORIN F. DELAND. 

All rights reserved. 



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The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U. S. A. 
Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton and Company. 



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PREFACE 



In the treatment of the many questions considered in 
these pagesj it has not been possible to lay down arbitrary 
lines, or to give unqualified advice. The wider knowledge 
which has come with the development of the modern game 
has greatly multiplied the possibilities of every situation. 
Earely can any question be now answered by the categorical 
imperative. 

The difficulty is further increased in this volume by the 
constant necessity of discriminating between different grades 
of players. The conditions which exist with a 'Varsity team 
are not present in the team of a preparatory school. The 
argument for the one is not the argument for the other. 
The advice must be constantly qualified.- 

This volume is published in the hope that it may aid in 
the development of American football, and more especially 
that it may encourage a scientific study of the game. The 
great popularity of this sport is not without its reasonable 
warrant. It calls out not merely the qualities which make 
the soldier, — bravery, endurance, obedience, self-control, — 
but equally that mental acumen which makes the successful 
man in any of the affairs of life — perception, discrimina- 
tion, and judgment. 

To the casual observer, football doubtless presents merely 
the spectacle of vigorous physical exercise. But a deeper 
insight will discover the steady development of those other 
qualities which make the complete man — quick determina- 
tion, instant obedience, self-reliance, physical bravery. The 



IV PREFACE 

great lesson of the game may be put into a single line : it 
teaches that brains will always win over muscle ! 

It is no drawback to the game that its object is a simple 
one ; when you tell the spectator that each side is trying to 
reach the opponent's goal, you have stated all that need be 
said. It is similarly no drawback to its popularity that pro- 
fessional football is unknown in America. 

But the great merit of this sport is its practically unlimited 
lield of tactical development. The fascinating study of new 
movements and combinations is never exhausted. It is this 
tactical possibility which has elevated football in popular 
esteem above all other sports. The cause of its attractive- 
ness has its parallel in war. No pages of war history are so 
interesting to the student as the stirring descriptions of bat- 
tles in which, by superior direction, a comparatively small 
body of soldiers has routed a force of twice its strength. 

It is on these high lines that the American game of foot- 
ball may be developed. It is in the hope that they may aid 
that development that the authors print this volume. 

September, 1896. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Ancient origin of the game . 
Crude form of the early sport . 
Growth and popularity 
The game in the public schools 
Athletic revival, 1850-1860 
Association, and Rugby separation 
Development of Rugby 



FART I 
CHAPTER I 

THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL, WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE 

VARIOUS GAMES 

PAGE 
1 
1 
2 

2 

3 

4 

4 

4 

6 

8 

9 

9 

10 

10 

11 

12 

18 

14 

16 

16 

16 

17 



Diagram of Rugby game . 

The principal rules 

Development to the present day 

The Oxford team and short passing 

Rules, ruling, and scoring 

The Association game . 

Diaorram of Association game . 

Australian football 

Diaorram of Australian game . 

Canadian football 

Gaelic football ..... 

Thanksgiving Day football of New England 

Diao;ram of American intercollegiate game 

Freshman-Sophomore matches 

Quiescent stage of American game . 



To face page 



. To face page 
. To face page 



To face page 



CHAPTER H 



EXPLANATION OF THE GAME AS NOW PLAYED 



Introduction 
The field 



18 
18 



VI 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



The ball 


. 18 


The j)layers 


19 


General object in the game .... 


. 20 


Divisions of the field ..... 


20 


The p;ame opened 


. 21 


A scrimmage described . . " . 


22 


First, second, and third down 


. 22 


As to the runner ...... 


23 


Penalties of the game . . . • . 


. 23 


Methods of scoring points .... 


24 


The ball out of bounds .... 


. 25 


Concluding definitions ..... 


25 



CHAPTER III 

FINER POINTS OF THE PLAY LIKELY TO BE OVERLOOKED 

A higher appreciation . . .27 

Advantages of present uniforms and accessories . . . 27 

How to judge the preliminary actions ...... 28 

What to watch in a scrimmage. A stiff line .... 28 

Good quarter play ......... 29 

How to predict a kick ........ 29 

What constitutes good play by end and tackle . . . .30 

Good interference 30 

A good run ........... 31 

Judicious kicking 31 

A punt-out 31 

CHAPTER IV 



HOW TO WATCH A GAME 

Watching the practice if possible 
Preparing for the game ; getting a seat . 
Difficulty of appreciating the skill exhibited 

Why the field is a gridiron 

Preliminary ])ractice . .... 

The toss of the coin ...... 

The line-up 

Interference . ...... 

W^hat the recipient of the ball may do. A fair catch 
A down and scrimmage ...... 

Attack and defense 



32 
32 
32 
33 
33 
34 
34 
34 
35 
35 
35 



TABLE OF CONTENTS vii 

Kicks and fake kicks 36 

Drop-kicks 36 

A kick-out .37 

A touch-down 37 

Try-at-goal 37 

Try by a punt-out 38 

Time of game and scoring ....... 38 

Officials and fouls . . . . . . . . . 39 



CHAPTER V 

EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE PLAYERS 

Divisions of the subject 

Limitations of the argument . 

Physical advantages .... 

Official proscription and the strength test 

A common error ..... 

Physical disadvantages .... 

Injuries from accidents 

A comparison with other sports 

The real source of danger . 

An exagrgeration ..... 

Possible injuries to the nervous system 

Injuries from imperfect training 

The balance in the argument 

Moral advantages — intellectual activity . 

Self-control 

Moral and physical courage 
Discipline ...... 

Negative ethical advantages 

Increased power of the will . 

Moral disadvantages .... 

Attention drawn from study 

The evils of notoriety .... 

The charge of brutality 



40 
40 
40 
41 
41 
42 
42 
42 
43 
43 
43 
45 
46 
46 
47 
47 
48 
48 
49 
49 
50 
51 
51 



CHAPTER VI 

EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL WORDS AND PHRASES, SLANG 
TERMS AND COINED EXPRESSIONS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL 



54 



Vlll 



TABLE UF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER VII 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 

Difficulty of assimilating English Rugby in America 
Special instances ....... 

The scrimmage and its development 
Heeling out ..... 

The quarter-back 

Solution of further difficulties . 

Maul in goal .... 

Block games ..... 

The five-yard rule 
English off and on side 
Punting out and punting on . 

In touch 

Tie games and time of game 
Scorins: ...... 

Other discarded and altered rules 
Uniforms ...... 

Officials ..... 

American rule-making . . . 

Advisory Committee 

University Athletic Club . 

Rules — Committee's work . s 

Division of labor in the American same 



63 
63 
64 
64 
64 
65 
65 
66 
66 
67 
67 
67 
68 
68 
69 
70 
70 
71 
72 
72 
73 
74 



CHAPTER VIII 



TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WITH A 'VARSITY PLAYER 

A popular error 77 

What this chapter will offer 77 

Risino; and breakfasting ........ 78 

The morning's work ......... 79 

Lunch 80 

The afternoon practice ........ 80 

WeifjhinGf and rubbing down ....... 81 

The evening dinner ......... 82 

Bread fights and practical joking ...... 82 

Eveninsf work .......... 83 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



IX 



PART II 
CHAPTER I 

ORGANIZING A TEAM 



Three cardinal points . 
Where no team has existed 
Committee in charge . 
Policy for further management 
Permanent advisory committee 
Formation of the association 
Practical management 
University or college organization 
Building up of a school of coaching 



CHAPTER II 



TRAINING A TEAM WITHOUT A SECOND ELEVEN 



First decide whether there is a second eleven 
Practice possible without a second eleven 
How to split a team ..... 

Drilling and explaining . . ... 

Less chance of injury .... 

Daily discussion ...... 

Special rules for practice 

Strict rulings ...... 

Lack of interest ; how to overcome . 
Outside games necessary .... 

Tests ' . 



87 
87 
88 
88 
88 
89 
89 
89 
90 



91 
91 
92 
92 
92 
93 
93 
93 
94 
94 
95 



CHAPTER HI 

INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS 

End Rush 96 

Experience and physical characteristics . . • .• 96 

Condition a prime factor ....... 96 

His defensive play 96 

Meeting interference .97 

Reaching the runner . . . . . . . 97 

On the offensive 98 

On kicks 98 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



The Tackle • . . 


. 98 


Strength and dash ; saves the end and rush-line back . 98 


Play on the offensive 


. 99 


Play on kicks 

The Guard ........ 


99 
. 99 


Steady and powerful 

A block to masses 


99 
. 100 


A protection on the offense .... 


. 100 


The Centre 


. 100 


More general activity ..... 
How to stand ...... 


100 
. 100 


Defensive play 


101 


The Quarter-back 


. 101 


Practically captain 

Clever and a general. Select brains . 


. 101 

. 101 


Size of quarters 

Cheerful, alert, and confident 


. 102 
. 102 


Handling the ball and steadying the line . 


. 102 


The Three Backs 


. 102 


Becoming all alike ...... 


. 102 


Confidence in each other .... 


. 103 


Build and character 


103 


One a leader 


. 103 



CHAPTER IV 

RELATIONSHIPS OF THE POSITIONS 

Theory of line defense 104 

Triangular relation between the end, tackle, and rush-line back . 104 
A safe stop for a well protected end run . . . . .105 

The tackle's inside assistant . ... . . . . 105 

Guard and tackle on fake plays . . . . . .106 

Relation of the centre trio and quarter ..... 106 

Relations on kicks and offensive play 107 

CHAPTER V 

BLOCKING 



When to teach it 108 

Two divisions of the subject . . . . . . .108 

Position in blocking 108 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XI 



As to the feet and legs 

General movement in blocking 

Comparison with sparring 

What is body-checking ? . . . 

A common fault with young players 

Other general hints on blocking . 

Different kinds of blocking 

Body-checking 

Blocking hard 

Blocking long . . .... 

Special instructions for blocking by the centre-rush 
Special instructions for blocking by a guard 
Special instructions for blocking by a tackle 
A few words to the end rush .... 



109 
109 
110 
110 
111 
111 
111 
112 
112 
112 
113 
113 
115 
116 



CHAPTER VI 



BREAKING THROUGH 



Importance of it 

Reason for this ..... 

An indication of spirit .... 

Instructions to guard and tackle . 

When, not to go through .... 

Discrimination between players . 

Keep the ball in sight .... 

Two foundation principles . 

Position for the body .... 

Importance of quickness 

Attention to an opponent 

Ten methods of breaking through 

Comments upon them .... 

Dangers of scrapping when on the defense 

Breaking through on a kick 

Formations which it is unsafe to break through 

Conclusion 



117 
117 
117 
118 
118 
119 
119 
120 
120 
120 
120 
121 
122 
122 
122 
123 
124 



CHAPTER VH 

OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 



Interference and shepherding 
Heeling out 



126 
126 



xu 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



The development of the use of the arm by forwards 
Legislation against holding ..... 

Saving the game 

The hole should fit the play ..... 

Opening for a plunge, and opening for long interference 
Time of the opening ...... 

What happens when a hole is made at the wrong time 
Opening for tackle run ...... 

Opening for mass play ...... 

Don't open the door for the enemy to come in 

IIow the door opens for a tackle run .... 

Classification of openings under these heads 
Detail of individual work in making openings 
After the runner has gone through .... 



127 
127 
128 
128 
129 
129 
130 
130 
130 
131 
131 
132 
132 
133 



CHAPTER VIII 



INTERFERING FOR THE RUNNER 

English and American right of way 

Aid to the runner ...... 

Theoretical perfection .... 

Man-to-man interference vs. line interference . 
Method of line interference .... 

Example of line interference .... 

Second step ....... 

Final outcome ....... 

Funnel-shaped alleys ..... 

Combination of primary and secondary with man-to 
ference ......... 

Walking through the interference 

Three points of measurement ..... 

Addition of double passes ..... 

Final perfection of interference, with double pass and kick 



man inter- 



134 
134 
134 
135 
136 
136 
136 
137 
137 

137 

138 
138 
139 
140 



CHAPTER IX 

KICKING 

Decline of kicking and its present return to importance 
Laxity in educating the team ..... 

Blocking for a kick ....... 

Who shall do the punting 



141 
141 
142 
142 



TABLE OF CONTENTS XIU 

How to learn to kick 143 

After the first week 143 

Kicking on the run ......... 144 

Increasing distance and improving direction .... 144 

Accuracy and trick kicks 144 

Place kicking and goal kicking 145 

Close kicks 146 

Holding the ball 146 

Ball affected by weather conditions 147 

Punting out 148 

Drop kicking • . . . . 149 

Handling the ball 149 

Kicking as in a game 150 

CHAPTER X 

TEAM PLAY 

Breadth of the term 151 

When team play begins 151 

Actual numbers for each position 152 

The ends 152 

Effect on tackles 153 

Tackles and guards 153 

The quarter in team play . 154 

The number of backs necessary . . . . . . . 154 

Team play begins with the guard's position .... 154 

Proper sequences 155 

Second step in team offense 156 

The farther out the attack, the stronger it is . . . . 156 

Men in a complete interference 156 

How line men should work . . ... . . .157 

Final aid to the runner ........ 158 

Importance of rapid lining-up for successful team play . . 158 

How to hurry the play ........ 158 

Defensive team play 159 

The backs on defense ........ 159 

Field divisible into two halves 159 

Working a man through 160 

Mutual assistance without sacrifice of individual skill . . .160 



XIV 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XI 



ON THE USE OF TRICKS IN FOOTBALL 



The player's idea . . .... 

Tlie spectator's misapprehension 

The true conception ..... 

Value of tricks to a team ..... 

How they should be made up . . . 
Each play in a series should be judged by itself 
When and where tricks should be employed 
A side-line strataorem ..... 

After a loss on first down .... 

How tricks should be tested .... 

Individual opinions are of little value . 
How many tricks should be employed 

Hints upon selection 

Final hints as to tricks 



162 
162 
162 
163 
163 
164 
164 
165 
165 
166 
166 
167 
167 
168 



CHAPTER XII 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 

Expert knowledge not required 

Two different methods of work 

Errors to be avoided . 

Securing; the first idea 

The paper upside down 

New principles from old ones . 

A method of working; backward 

Still another method 

Assig;ning the men 

Value of detail sketches . 

Sequences from one line-up . 

Important questions that arise . 

Where balanced line-ups may be most effectively employed 

The wisdom of exchangres when on the offensive 

Plays with a one-sided line-up 

Value of an unexpected kick .... 

Operating a fake kick ..... 

Another form of strategy ..... 

Conclusion 



169 
170 
171 
171 
172 
172 
172 
173 
174 
174 
175 
176 
176 
177 
177 
178 
178 
178 
179 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XV 



CHAPTER XIII 

FOOTBALL DON'TS 



What is football instinct ? 
What this chapter includes 
Forty cautions to the player 



180 
180 
180 



PAET III 



CHAPTER I 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHIXG 



Different branches of the work . 
Coaching individual positions . 
Kickincr ..... 
The offensive game 
The defensive play 
Team defense vs. individual blocking 
Preparing a defensive system 
Delay in starting team defense 
Generalship .... 

Spirit 

Conditioning .... 

Physical injuries 

Head coach .... 

Development of the team 

Primary and conditioning work . 

General individual work . 

Primary offense .... 

General relationship between the players 

Secondary offense 

Precision . . . « . 

Ginger ..... 

The progress of the work 

First three days .... 

Coaching individual positions . 

Progress up to the first game 

The succeeding three weeks 

An important decision : individual defense t" 

Supplementary offense 



s. team 



defense 



187 
188 
188 
189 
189 
190 
191 
191 
192 
193 
193 
193 
193 
194 
194 
195 
195 
195 
195 
195 
196 
196 
197 
197 
198 
198 
199 
200 



XVI TABLE OF CONTENTS 

The last fortnight 200 

Rousing the right spirit 202 

The last appeals 202 

Diagram E. General coaching plan for the season . . . 203 

CHAPTER II 

ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 

Utilizing outside friends as coaches 205 

Whom to select .... .... 205 

How to employ them 205 

Who brings down the runner . 206 

Tabulated report 206 

Other information 207 

Gains each time of each play 207 

Where gains are made through your line 208 

Timing passes and punts 208 

Photographs of plays 208 

How many ways a man has of blocking ..... 209 

Notes on defense and offense made by each man in each play 209 

The tackling dummy 210 

Quarter-back examinations ....... 210 

Locating men at the hole in the line to show where runner is to 
go, and practise making opening . . . . . .212 

General examinations on rules 214 

Signal rehearsals 214 

Need of strict officials in late practice 215 

CHAPTER in 

CHOOSING THE TEAM 

Secret of success 216 

Qualifications of a good man 217 

Diasnosinjj . . . . . . . . . . .217 

Inventiveness a necessity ........ 218 

Strength and ability 218 

Agility 219 

How to watch a team . . . . . . . . .219 

Judging men behind the line . 220 

Shiftiness in backs ......... 220 

General observations of first week ...... 221 

Fragile men dangerous to rely upon 221 



TABLE OF CONTENTS xvil 

Love of the game a good quality 222 

Making up the list 222 

Final selection , . 223 



CHAPTER IV 

THE POLICY FOR THE SEASON 

What a policy should mean 225 

Self-reliance of coach . . . . . . . .225 

Spare weak-kneed friends . . . . . . . .226 

General lay-out of coaching lines 226 

Coaches for specialties 227 

Size of staff 227 

Each day lay out work for following day 227 

Discipline . - 228 

Extension and scope 228 

Period of progress 229 

Tackling, blocking, and breaking through 229 

Relation of defensive to offensive at different periods . . 230 

Mid-season period of depression 230 

Diagram F. Usual progress of the season . . . . 231 

Time of line-ups 232 

New coaches and new judgments 232 

Order of games 233 

Selection of plays and control of score . . . . .233 

Practice under umpire 233 

Quarrels 233 

Personal exhortation 234 



CHAPTER y 

TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 

The need of such tests .' . . .235 

Test of a weak centre ........ 235 

Following the ball or playing for the trick . . . . .237 

Criss-crosses and double passes (calling out) . . . .237 

Whether backs or forwards give away, by their attitude, the 
location of the trick ........ 238 

Starting by the ball or by the opponents 239 

Punting for distance and location 239 

Test of blocking for punts • . 240 



XVlll 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Test of location of hole (by watching) and whether back knows 

its exact spot and takes it clearly 241 

A given-awuy signal 242 

The line no stronger than its weakest point .... 242 

Sympathy between backs ; of backs with quarter ; of backs with 

line 243 

Test of place-kicking of goals 244 

Test of spirit by driving ........ 246 

Test of condition by sending full length . . • . . 246 



CHAPTER VI 



FIELD TACTICS 

Generalship. Critical moment in every game . 

Selection of a good coach .... 

A leader and general ..... 

Relations of the captain and coach 

Selection of substitute field captain . 

Running the team by the quarter-back 

Acquaint the quarter and captain with your plans 

Elimination of unsatisfactory plays 
Conditions affecting field tactics. What to consider 

Value and effect of the wind ... 

Style of kick with the wind .... 

Duty of ends when with the wind 

Against the wind ..... 

Style of play ....,, 

Style of kick against the wind . 
Rain ......... 

What plays to use and what to discard on a rainy 

Clothes and shoes for a rainy day 

Handlinor the ball when wet 
Sun. When to choose it .... . 

How to neutralize its effects 

How to make use of the advantage 
Ground. Consideration of snow and irregularities 

Proximity of crowd or seats .... 
Dividing the field into spaces. Scoring distance 

Kicking territory ...... 

Danger territory ..... 

Diagram G. The transverse divisions of the field 

Longitudinal divisions .... 



day 



247 
. 247 

248 
. 249 

249 
. 250 

250 
. 251 

251 
. 251 

252 
. 252 

253 
. 253 

253 
. 254 

254 
. 255 

255 
. 255 

256 
. 256 

256 
. 257 

257 
. 258 

258 
. 259 

260 



i 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XIX 



The middle belt 

The side belts 

Diaoram H. The lon2;itudinal divisions of the 
Further subdivision .... 
Plays for numbers 16, 17, and 18 
Plays for numbers 13, 14, and 15 
Plays for numbers 10, 11, and 12 
Plays for numbers 7, 8, and 9 . 
Plays for numbers 4, 5, and 6 
Plays for numbers 1, 2, and 3 . 

Diao-rain I. The field in sections 
Defensive play in cross sections 
Inside the twenty-five-yard line 
Defensive in middle section 
Defense when in scoring territory 
Defensive play in longitudinal belts . 
In the middle belt .... 

Defensive play in sections 16, 17, and 18 
Defensive play in sections 13, 14, and 15 
Defensive play in sections 10, 11, and 12 
Defensive play in sections 7, 8, and 9 . 
Defensive play in sections 4, 5, and 6 
Defensive play in sections 1, 2, and 3 . 



field 



260 
260 
261 
262 
262 
262 
262 
263 
263 
264 
265 
266 
266 
267 
268 
268 
268 
269 
269 
270 
270 
270 
270 



CHAPTER VII 



ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE 



State of mind of players . . . . . 

Last day of practice, and what should follow 
Injured men . . . . . . . 

Over-trained men ..... 

Possible players ...... 

Captain at the conference .... 

Second meeting. Consideration of the line-up 

What plays will be used, and when 

Ground rules ....... 

Selection of officials ..... 

Morning of the game, and final touches . 



272 

272 
273 
273 
274 
274 
274 
275 
275 
276 
277 



XX 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER VIII 



THE MORAL FACTORS IN AN IMPORTANT GAME 

Comparison between war and football .... 
Napoleon's " tbree to one " ratio .... 
The moral agents in war ...... 

(1) The personal qualities of the commander-in-chief 
The qualifications of generalship .... 
Detecting the critical moment .... 

(2) Stratagems 

Force of strategy in football .... 

(3) The elation or depression of the soldiers 

(4) Information, and the means of obtaining it 
Explanation of many defeats . . . . , 



278 
278 
278 
278 
279 
279 
280 
280 
281 
281 
282 



CHAPTER IX 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 



The use of signals in football 
Recent changes in signals 
Use of two codes 
Choice of many styles . 
What is really needed 
Two sets in one came . 



A good method of numbering the holes 

The signal completed ... 

Arranging to add a starting number 

Another set illustrated 

A combination on one double number only 

A combination on one letter only 

A well-concealed system illustrated . 

Example of practice signals with a changeable key 

Example of an advanced set for an important contest 

Individual preferences of players 

Quick sequences without signal .... 

The signaling for a sequence .... 



284 
284 
284 
285 
285 
285 
286 
287 
287 
288 
288 
289 
290 
290 
291 
293 
294 
294 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XXI 



CHAPTER X 



TRAINING 



capable 



accidents 



Training a systematic preparation . 

To produce the best play of which the team is 

Gradual and temperate .... 

Ao;e a factor 

Work of the kickers .... 

Preliminary practice ..... 
Opening fall campaign, and safeguards against 
Duration of practice ..... 
Detail of training . . . . . 

Diet 

Hours for meals ..... 

Kind of food, and how served 

Diao-ram J. Training .... 

Vegetables ...... 

Drinks ....... 

Diagram K. Very irregular development 
Novel ideas and emergency suggestions . 
Reduction of flesh .... 

Increase in nitrogenous ratio . 
Diagram L. Consistent progress 
To steady a nervous team 
Over-training; ..... 

More mental than physical 

Diagram M. Too early development . 

How to diagnose ..... 

Diagram N. Most successful development 
The agent of repair .... 

Care of the over-trained 

Diagram O. Injuries received 

Cleanliness ......... 

Recapitulation of eight Eng;lish training systems 

Table showing the digestibility of certain articles of food 



296 
296 
297 
297 
297 
298 
299 
300 
300 
•300 
301 
302 
303 
304 
304 
305 
306 
306 
306 
307 
308 
308 
308 
309 
310 
311 
312 
312 
313 
315 
316 
317 



xxu 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER XI 



SUGGESTIONS OF POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 
WHERE TUEY MAY BE EMPLOYED 



HOW AND 



The plan explained .... 

As to the value of different ideas 

A line man brought back 

An accidental start .... 

The quarter-back changed . 

Quick scrimmage kick 

Ball put in play by a guard . 

An unexpected punt 

Second pass and kick .... 

Makinjj exchanges when on the offensive 

Diagonal blocking .... 

Shifting positions .... 

As to unexpected kicks 

A long first pass on first down . 

Side line possibilities .... 

A quarter-back kick 

Fake kick and dive play 

Fake kick and full-back run 

Overhead pass ..... 

A pretended fumble 

The concealed ball .... 

Pocketing an end .... 

Ri2;ht-ano;lin2; an end .... 

Another outlet ..... 

A quarter-turned attack 

A (juarter-back run .... 

Another way ..... 

Second pass in a moving interference 

Two operations in one 

A running kick . . . • . 

Deceptive line-up attitudes . 

A fake kick criss-cross 



319 
319 
319 
320 
320 
321 
321 
322 
322 
322 
323 
323 
324 
324 
325 
325 
326 
326 
326 
327 
327 
327 
328 
328 
328 
329 
329 
329 
330 
330 
331 
331 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



XXlll 



CHAPTER XII 



WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 

Future of the sport in hands of the officials 

Learn the rules ....... 

Learn the history of the rules . . . . . 

Learn the players' interpretation .... 

The referee ........ 

Cannot deliberate when on the field 

Position to occupy when watching the play 

Pay no attention to remarks, and never try to even up 

Don't be too technical ....... 

Despise and disgrace the foul player 
Difficulties ....... 

Never leave the game without a decision . 
Ground rules ...... 

Proximity of fence or grand stand . 

Out of bounds ...... 

Interpretations and points made by captains 
Warning by the umpire .... 

Linesman. Marking distances 

Bearing testimony ..... 

Extraordinary occurrences 

Calling the game on account of darkness 



332 
332 
332 
833 
333 
333 
333 
334 
334 
334 
335 
335 
336 
336 
336 
337 
337 
338 
338 
338 
339 



CHAPTER Xni 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



Explanation of the diagrams 

Positions of the players 

Reversing the movement 

Each play practical . 

Making the dispositions 

The play on the blackboard 

Special instructions to the leading players 

Formation of small wedges 
Instructions to right end 
Instructions to right tackle 
Instructions to right half-back 
Instructions to left end 
Instructions to left tackle 



340 
340 
341 
341 
342 
342 
343 
344 
344 
345 
345 
346 
346 



XXIV 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Instructions to left half-back 

Instructions to full-back 
Play I. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 1 
Play 11. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 2 
Play III. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 3 
Play IV. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 4 
Play V. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 5 . 
Play VI. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 6 
Play VII. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 7 
Play VIII. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 
Play IX. Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 9 
Play X. Close Formation : Outlet No. 1 
Play XI. Close Formation : Outlet No. 2 
Play XII. Close Formation : Outlet No. 3 
Play XIII. Close Formation : Outlet No. 4 
Play XIV. Guard Back : Outlet No. 1 
Play XV. G«iard Back : Outlet No. 2 . 
Play XVI. Guard Back : Outlet No. 3 
Play XVII. Guard Back : Outlet No. 4 . 
Play XVIII. Ends In : Outlet No. 1 . 
Play XIX. Ends In : Outlet No. 2 
Play XX. Ends In : Outlet No. 3 
Play XXI. Ends In : Outlet No. 4 . 
Play XXII. Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 1 
Play XXIII. Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 2 
Play XXIV. Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 3 
Play XXV. Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 4 
Play XXVI. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 1 
Play XXVII. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 2 . 
Play XXVIII. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 3 
Play XXIX. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 4 . 
Play XXX. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 5 . 
Play XXXI. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 6 . 
Play XXXII. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 7 
Play XXXIII. Small Wedges : Outlet No. 8 . 
Play XXXIV. Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 1 
Play XXXV. Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 2 
Play XXXVI. Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 3 
Play XXXVII. Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 4 
Play XXXVIII. Tackle Force : Outlet No. 1 . 
Play XXXIX. Tackle Force : Outlet No. 2 . 
Play XL. Two-Play Formation : Outlet No. 1 . 
Play XLI. Two- Play Formation : Outlet No. 2 



347 
. 348 

350 
. 351 

352 
. 353 

354 
. 355 

35G 
. 357 

358 
. 359 

360 
. 361 

362 
. 363 

364 
. 365 

366 
. 367 

368 
. 369 

370 
. 371 

372 
. 373 

374 
. 375 

376 
. 377 

378 
. 379 

380 
. 381 

382 
. 383 

384 
. 385 

386 
. 387 

388 
. 389 

390 



TABLE OF CONTENTS XXV 

Play XLII. Trick Series : Outlet No. 1, Double Pass . . 391 

Play XLni. Trick Series : Outlet No. 2, Right-angling the End 392 
Play XLIY. Trick Series : Outlet Xo 3, Long Pass . . .393 
Play XLV. Trick Series : Outlet Xo. 4, Quarter-back Kick . 394 

Play XL VI. Fake Kick 395 

Play XL^TI. Fake Kick Criss-Cross : Outlet Xo. 1 . . 396 

Play XLYin. Fake Kick Criss-Cross : Outlet Xo. 2 . . .397 

Play XLIX. Mass at Tackle 398 

Play L. Emergency Play (Risky) 399 

Play LL Side Line Play 400 

CHAPTER XIV 
Rules of the Season of 1896 ..,,•,. 401 



PAET I 
FOR THE SPECTATOR 



FOOTBALL 



CHAPTER I 

THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL, WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
OF THE VARIOUS GAMES 

Ancient Origin of the Game. It is impossible to state 
exactly at what time the game of football originated. Even 
the Greeks and Romans had a sport which consisted in kick- 
ing about some kind of an object under certain general rules, 
and this may be taken, in a wide sense, to have been the 
forerunner of the present game. 

In English twelfth-century literature mention is made on 
several occasions of a sport which was known by the name 
of football, and was played with great enthusiasm by the 
lower classes. Shakespeare, in his writings, also speaks of 
football, classing it as a low form of amusement. 

Crude Form of the Early Sport. According to contem- 
poraneous accounts of this game, the object of each side was 
to carry or kick a ball over a certain mark taken as the 
opponents' goal line, and at the same time prevent such a 
score from being made against themselves. The distances 
between these goals were generally very long, even reaching 
two or three miles at times, and extending from one village 
to another. A Erench writer who paid a visit to England 
in the seventeenth century describes the game as follows : — 

" En hiver le footbal est un exercice utile et charmant. 
Gest un ballon de cuir, gros comme la tete et rempli de vent ; 
cela se ballotte avec le pied dans les mes par celui qui le 
pent attraper ; il n'y a point d'autre science." The descrip- 
tion given in the last words of this extract is hardly in keep- 



2 FOOTBALL 

ing with the statement tliat football was " charmant " and 
'* utile." From the fact tliat it contained very little science 
and was played solely by the lower classes of the people, it is 
fair to assume that it was very rough, if not actually brutal. 
This supposition is further confirmed by the fact that numer- 
ous laws were passed, at intervals, imposing a heavy sentence 
upon any one who played or witnessed a game of football. 

Growth and Popularity. In spite of these hindrances 
the game retained its popularity through several centuries, as 
a sport for the men rather than the boys, of the lower classes. 
The triumph of Puritanism was a serious check, however, 
and in the eighteenth century the enthusiasm waned consid- 
erably. When the sport was again taken up, it found favor 
among the younger rather than the older members of the 
community, and at the opening of the present century the 
public school boys were beginning to adopt it as a pastime 
in spite of considerable opposition from the parents of the 
better class, who did not like to have their boys engage in 
such a rough game at the peril of their clothes and limbs. 

The Game in the Public Schools. Each of the public 
schools, in adopting this game, which as yet was governed 
by no fixed code of laws, Avas obliged to form its own rules 
and regulations, which to a large extent were demanded by 
the size and nature of the grounds and other local considera- 
tions. It was, for instance, at Rugby alone that the play- 
ground was large enough to allow the running and tackling 
game to be played. At Charterhouse and Westminster there 
were no places suitable for this style of play, so the " drib- 
bling '^ game was introduced. The players were not allowed 
to touch the ball with their hands, but made progress through 
kicking alone. ' The art of rolling the ball along the ground 
by gentle kicks from the toe or shin as a player was running 
was called " dribbling," and it was in this way possible for 
experts to dodge opponents by quick turns to the right or 
left, and gain much ground towards the desired goal without 
losing the ball. At Harrow the conditions Avere suitable for 
kicking and fair catching, but the players were not allowed 
to run with the ball or to collar each other. The Eton school- 
boys introduced kicking to some extent on their rather lim- 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 3 

ited field, and invented tlie "wall game," which is very 
unique and peculiar, adapted and confined to that school. 

These various games developed gradually, each governed 
largely by the local requirements and resources ; and in 
the beginning of the joi'esent century they could be divided 
roughly into two classes : the first of these was known as the 
" dribbling " game, and the latter as " Kugby," being the same 
that was played at that school. In the former it was not law- 
ful to touch the ball with the hands, or to trip or tackle an 
opponent, but ground was gained in the proper direction by 
kicking and dribbling alone ; while the principal feature of the 
latter, which was played at Kugby, was the " scrummage," — 
which will be fully described later on, — and running with the 
ball and tackling were both allowed. Neither game was free 
from objectionable features, and players were always exposed 
to more or less serious injuries. The size of the field of 
play and the number of participants on the two sides were 
not defined in any respect. The readers of " Tom Brown at 
E-ugby " will remember the vivid, though somewhat exagger- 
ated, description of the Eugby game, as given by East to the 
new arrival at the school, and how it was a fixed custom 
for the sixth form boys to play against all the rest of the 
school. The methods of prohibiting rough play and of giv- 
ing a high value to science and skill were discovered very 
slowly, and are not yet wholly attained. 

Athletic Revival, 1850-1860. During the years 1850 
to 1860 there was a decided revival of all athletic sports 
in the public schools of England, and football became the 
most popular game for the winter months. This was im- 
mediately followed by the formation of clubs through the 
efforts of old school players, in the universities and large 
towns, where the dribbling game was adopted more gen- 
erally than the Eugby, but was played entirely under local 
rules. The first steps towards a joint football organization 
were taken in 1863, when a number of the London Eugby 
clubs attempted to draw up a uniform code of laws which 
should be acceptable to all parties. In the mean time, the 
more enthusiastic followers of the dribbling game had come 
to an agreement over their rules, and formed themselves 



4 FOOTBALL 

into the " Football Association." A joint conference was 
next held between the Kugbeians and the Dribblers, for the 
purpose of effecting a compromise upon the points in which 
the two games differed. This step was, however, found to 
be impossible, as the principles of the two games were essen- 
tially different, and the Dribblers, though greater in num- 
bers and advocating the more popular form of the game, were 
not strong enough to carry their points over the obstinate 
and persistent followers of the Rugby game. 

During the next ten years the Rugby game greatly in- 
creased in popularity, and finally, in 1871, the principal 
London clubs united in forming the " Rugby Football Union." 
Rules were adopted wdiich tended to eliminate the more 
objectionable features of hacking and tripping, and to intro- 
duce more skill and science ; otherwise the game remained 
essentially the same as had been played for a number of 
years at Rugby schools. 

Association and Rugby Separation. From this point 
the two games, known as Association and Rugby, have drifted 
further and further apart, and have been adopted with more 
or less enthusiasm in all parts of Great Britain. There 
seems to be no danger of either one ever driving the other 
out of the country, and it is almost impossible to explain 
why their comparative popularity should vary as it does in 
the different sections of the country. 

Development of Rugby. As the Rugby game is that 
from which our American Intercollegiate was derived, it is 
of interest to follow this branch closely and note the familiar 
points. In the original Rugby Union Rules, no provision 
was made for the size of the field or the number of men who 
should constitute a side. The fields probably varied very 
much in both length and breadth ; but the most convenient 
dimensions were found to be 110 yards in length and 75 
yards in breadth, while the number of players was usually 
twenty on a side. At each end of the field Avere erected 
goals, consisting of tAvo upright posts 18 feet and 6 inches 
apart, joined together by a horizontal bar 10 feet from the 
ground. A goal could be obtained by either a "drop-kick," 
performed by lettinj:^ the ball fall from the hands and kick- 



TOUCH 
IN GOAL 



J 1 

GOAL 



TOUCH 
IN GOAL 



H 
O 

c 
o 






s 



r 
u 

D 
O 



TOUCH 
IN GOAL 



h 

GOCOly 



GOAL 



t 



trhe 



TOUCH 
IN GOAL 



Diagram A. — Rugby Union Game. 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 5 

ing the instant it rose, or a "place-kick," when the ball was 
held in the proper position on the ground by one player, and 
then kicked by another. The only other form of kick was 
a " pnnt," in performing which the ball was kicked immedi- 
ately after leaving the hands while still in the air. 

The game was opened by a " kick-off," the captains having 
previously " tossed up " to see which side should have this 
privilege or the choice of goals. A man of the side choos- 
ing the kick-off then took a place - kick from the centre of 
the field, the members of his own side standing behind the 
ball, and of the opposing side at a distance of ten yards. 
Such a kick could not count as a goal. A player obtaining 
the ball after such a kick could kick or run, as he deemed 
most expedient, in order to make progress in the desired 
direction. If he chose the latter play his opponents were 
free to tackle him, and thus try to bring him to a standstill. 
When once fairly " held," the runner was obliged to cry 
'^ down," and place the ball on the ground for a scrum- 
mage. A scrummage was defined as taking place "when 
the holder of the ball, being in the field of play, puts it 
down on the ground in front of him, and all who have closed 
around on their respective sides endeavor to push their 
opponents back, and, by kicking the ball, to drive it in the 
direction of the opposite goal line." This was really the 
most prominent feature of the game, and was of very uncer- 
tain outcome. Not all the men of a side would take part, 
but a few stood behind on either side in order to capture the 
ball, if it should happen to roll or be kicked out, and then 
either make a pass to some other player, or try a run in 
person. At other times this mass of struggling, kicking 
players might move slowly down the field, or sway back and 
forth for several minutes before being broken up, or some 
lucky man might force his way through with the ball be- 
fore him, and dribble it successfully for a considerable dis- 
tance. If a player, in such ways as above described, could 
carry the ball at any point over his opponents' goal line, and 
there touch it down, his side was entitled to a " try " at goal, 
to be made by a place-kick from a point in the field of play 
either opposite to that point behind the goal where the ball 



6 FOOTBALL 

was touched down, or at a point marked by a fair catch of a 
punt by a member of his own side from a point on the goal 
line opposite to the point at which the ball was touched down. 
A goal could also be obtained at any time in the game when 
a player had succeeded in approaching near enough to send 
the ball between the posts and over the bar by a quick drop- 
kick. This act was, however, very difficult to perform, as 
the opponents were very apt to block the kick, or interfere 
in such a Avay as to effectually spoil the kicker's aim. A 
quick and accurate drop kicker was a valuable man on any 
team, and the science of drop kicking was studied by all 
ambitious players. 

Previous to the adoption of the Rugby Union rules, 
matches were decided by a majority of goals alone, tries 
being entirely disregarded ; but after 1871, in case no goals 
were scored by either side, or an equal number by each side, 
the match was Avon by the team scoring the majority of tries, 
rather than count as a draw game. After a goal had been 
scored the game was recommenced by a kick-off at the centre 
of the field by the side losing the goal. 

The Principal Rules. The principal features of the 
original Rugby Union game have thus been described. It 
now remains to speak of certain rules which, to a casual 
observer, would not seem to be of serious importance, but 
which are the key to the success of the game. If a player 
entered a scrummage from his opponents' side (i. e., facing 
the goal which- he was defending), or got in front of the 
ball, either in a scrummage or in open play when the ball had 
been kicked, touched, or was being run with by any of his 
own side behind him (i. e., between himself and his goal), he 
was declared "off-side." No player when off-side could 
touch the ball or a player, or in any way interfere with the 
progress of the game. He was, however, put "on -side" 
again when one of his own side had run in front of him (i. e., 
had passed to a point between him and his opponents' goal), 
either with the ball, or having kicked it when behind him, 
or when the ball had touched the dress or person of any 
player on the opposite side. This rule appears at first very 
complicated and not altogether necessary; but when the 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 7 

principle was once mastered by a player, it was readily put 
into practice, and the referee of a game was obliged to 
enforce it strictly. 

In case a player, while running with the ball, should 
allow any part of his person to pass out of bounds (or " into 
touch," as the technical expression has it), he must return 
to the spot where he crossed the line, and he himself or any 
player of his own side must put the ball in play (1) by 
bounding it on the ground ; (2) by passing it out at right 
angles to the touch line ; or (3) by carrying it out at right 
angles to the touch line any distance not less than five nor 
more than fifteen yards, and then putting it down for a 
scrummage, first stating how far he intended to walk out. 
If the ball rolled or was kicked out of bounds, the first 
player touching it down could put it in play in the manner 
just described. 

A " fair catch " was made by a player who caught the ball 
from a kick, and in so doing made a mark on the ground with 
his heel. Such player was then privileged to make a drop- 
kick, punt, or to hold the ball for a place -kick, at a conve- 
nient point behind his mark, at which the opponents were 
allowed to take their position. As soon as the ball touched 
the ground, or was kicked, the opponents were free to 
" charge," i. e., rush forward to tackle the man with the ball, 
or stop the kick. 

Furthermore, no player could deliberately hit the ball with 
his hand, or throw it forward (i. e., in the direction of his 
opponents' goal), l^o hacking or tripping was allowed, nor 
were players permitted to wear projecting nails, iron plates, 
or gutta-percha on any part of the boots or shoes. The time 
of the game was divided into two parts. During the inter- 
mission the two teams changed goals, and the kick-off at the 
opening of the second half was made by the side not having 
the kick-off at the commencement of the game. 

The decision of disputes could be made by umpires chosen 
by the captains of the contesting teams, though the presence 
of these arbiters was not a fixed custom, but any question as 
to the interpretation of the rules was referred to the Rugby 
Union Committee. 



8 FOOTBALL 

• 
Development to the Present Day. The development 

of the game from the adoption of the Kugby Union rules to 
the present day can be divided into three general periods : 
(1) tight scrummage and heavy forwards ; (2) loose scrum- 
mage ; (3) introduction of quick and frequent passing. 

It will be noticed from the rules above described that the 
forwards were bound to become entangled in the scrummage 
and so not be ready, in the event of the ball rolling out, to 
follow up the play with much activity. On the contrary, 
the requisites of a forward were weight and force. He 
should be a good scrummager and nothing else. In entering 
a scrummage, he should keep his eye on the ball, and try to 
push it towards his opponents' goal, advancing it by gentle 
kicks from the toe or shins. The team whose forwards were 
best able to " shove " was thus at a premium. In case a side 
failed in shoving, it was evidently advantageous for them to 
allow the ball to be kicked out into the hands of one of their 
"behinds," who thus would have an ojoportunity to gain 
ground in a run. The principle of "heeling out" the ball 
by a gentle backward kick would here be expedient, but for 
some reason or other a strong prejudice has always been felt 
against this mode of -plsij as being mean and tricky. It was, 
however, perfectly legitimate for a forward to open his legs, 
and allow the ball by accident to be kicked between them. 

It was soon appreciated that much time and strength was 
uselessly spent by the forwards in these aimless shoving 
matches. The greater part of the tackling and defensive 
work as well as the offensive work in kicking and running 
fell upon the beliinds. The play was entirely individual, 
and contained almost no science. 

The first step towards an improvement was taken in 1877, 
when at the request of Scotland the number of men on a 
team was reduced from twenty to fifteen. The positions of 
the players were generally assigned as follows : ten forwards, 
two half-backs, and three backs. The half-backs Avere in- 
tended to hold a position close to the scrummage, and cap- 
ture the ball if possible, when it rolled out, or to fall upon 
an oj)ponent Avho might capture it, while the backs were the 
ground gainers and kickers. With this diminution in the 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 9 

numbers a more open style of game naturally followed, and 
the forwards were chosen for activity in leaving the scrum- 
mage and falling upon the opposing half-backs. For this 
reason these players were obliged to pick up the ball, and 
pass it with extreme quickness, and some of the best players 
were able to combine the two motions into one scoop. The 
advantages of dribbling were gradually felt to be important, 
and the forwards were required to be proficient in this re-, 
spect also. 

The Oxford Team and Short Passing. The Oxford 
team of 1882 was the first one to develop the art of passing 
to any great extent, and as a result were victorious over the 
best clubs in the countrj'- during three successive seasons. 
The behinds would station themselves at intervals across the 
field a short distance behind the scrummage, and by a series 
of quick short passes, the ball could be advanced to the end 
man, who then found a clear field for some distance before 
him. A few teams have since then successfully combined 
the two feats of passing and dribbling, and attained to a 
remarkable degree of skillfulness. These principles of the 
game are still discussed by captains, and the question has not 
yet been answered as to how far such tactics can be carried 
with expediency. The assignment of the fifteen j^layers has 
undergone several changes. The position of three-quarter- 
back has been developed, and the number of forwards reduced 
to eight or nine men. Some teams play with three three- 
quarters, and others with four, while one full back is consid- 
ered sufiicient. He is a purely defensive player, and must 
be a sure tackier and accurate kicker. The three-quarter- 
backs have most of the active and prominent work to do, 
running, tackling, and kicking. 

Rules, Ruling, and Scoring. With the gradual devel- 
opment of the Eugby game from a school pastime to the 
present stage of the sport, many rules have been adopted 
from year to year, calculated to remedy, as far as possible, 
all visible defects. In 1892 the code of Union laws became 
so confused and complicated, owing to these frequent amend- 
ments, that an entirely new set of rules was drawn up. Ac- 
cording to this code the ball is required to be 11 to 11:^ inches 



10 FOOTBALL 

in length, 30 to 31 inches in length circumference, 25^ to 26 
inches in width circumference, and 13 to 14;^ ounces in 
weight. All games must be played with a referee and two 
touch judges, — the former to enforce the rules, the latter 
to render decisions regarding out of bounds. ^latches are 
decided by a majority of points, the following being the 
mode of scoring : try, 2 points ; penalty goal, given by ref- 
eree owing to unfair play of opponents, 3 points ; goal from 
a try (in which case the try does not count), 5 points; any 
other goal, 4 points. In regard to eligibility of players, the 
following rule has been enacted : " It is illegal for any mem- 
ber of any club in England in membership with this Union 
(a) to take part in any match or contest where gate money 
is taken, unless it is agreed that not less than fifteen players 
on each side take part in a match ; (b) to i)lay between May 
1 and August 31, both dates inclusive, in any football con- 
test, either for charity or otherwise, where gate money is 
taken.'"' 

The Association Game. The Association game, although 
not so important to students of the American game, is worthy 
of study as a contemporaneous sport. As already noted, it 
was established under regularl}' drawn up rules in 1863. It 
was not, however, more than a school pastime till 1872, when 
the international matches and cup ties were established. 
During its entire history the sport has demanded very skill- 
ful and careful playing, but the advantages of combined 
action and frequent passing were not appreciated till the 
middle of the seventies. The general method of play was 
for a certain number of the men to endeavor, by clever indi- 
vidual dribbling, to advance the ball down the field towards 
the opponents' goal, and then kick it through the posts. 
When combined action was introduced, the men were as- 
signed to certain positions, and had certain duties to perform. 
The division of the eleven players at the present day is gen- 
erally made as follows : five forwards, who engage them- 
selves in the most active part of the play, and should be 
clever dribblers ; three half-backs, one playing in the centre 
and one on either wing, who should always hold a position 
between their forwards and their goal ; two backs, one on 



o 



CORN£R Flag 



CORNER FLAG 



e 



GOAL 



SIX YARD MARKS foR KICK-QFF 



BACK 
O 



BACK 
o 



HALF BACK 
o 



HALF BACK 
O 



HALFBACK 
o 



RIGHT WING RIGHT WING CENTER 
o o o 



X X 

LEFTWING LEFTWING 



LEFT WING LEFT WING 
o o 




XXX 

CENTER RIGHTWING RIGHTWING 



I 

3 



5^ 



HALFBACK 



HALFBACK 



X 

HALFBACK 



X 

BACK 



X 

BACK 



G 



SIX rARO MARKS "^OR KiCK-OFF 



GOAL 



coRr,ER FLAQ Oocil Linc , dOYurds. corner flag 
Diagram B. — Association Game. 



* 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 11 

either wing, who are intended to receive any kicks beyond 
the half-backs, and return them ; and one goal keeper. This 
player must remain close to the goal, and if possible prevent 
the ball from passing between the posts. He is the only 
player who is allowed to use his hands in stopping the ball, 
but may hold it only long enough to make his kick out of 
danger. 

A peculiar knack which some players of this game have 
adopted is that of " heading " the ball as it descends from a 
high kick. In this way the sphere can be returned very 
quickly without taking the time of an ordinary kick. 

As the forwards advance the ball towards the opponents' 
goal, they try to work it towards the centre of the field, so 
that the middle forward may kick it between the posts. 
Passing and combined action have been developed to a con- 
siderable degree by Association elevens, and form now the 
characteristics upon which the success of a team depends. 

Rules regarding kick-off at commencement of the two 
halves and after a goal has been scored are the same as in 
the Rugby game, also those against intentional rough play, 
hacking, tripping, etc. When a ball goes out of bounds, it 
is thrown into the field of play by a player of the side which 
did not kick it out. This must be done with both hands, 
and can be in any direction. 

The length of a field for the Association game should 
be between 100 and 200 yards, and the width between 50 
and 100 yards. The goals are upright posts eight yards 
apart, with a bar across them eight feet from the ground. 
A goal is the only score that can be made, and is obtained 
when the ball is kicked between the posts and under the bar. 
The ball used is round, from twenty-seven to twenty-eight 
inches in circumference, and should weigh between thirteen 
and fifteen ounces. 

Australian Football. In Australia, football is univer- 
sally recognized as the national game, and at the present 
day the popularity of the sport is quite remarkable, single 
matches often attracting an audience of thirty thousand 
people. 

A generation back the game was at the same stage of 



12 FOOTBALL 

development as in England. Sydney and Melbourne were 
the leaders of this sport, as they are of everything else in 
Australia, and the former of these cities has always i)layed 
the Rugby game, the necessary changes in the form of play 
being made in conjunction with those in England. But in 
Melbourne the general feeling has been that the English 
game was not fast enough, and as a result new rules were 
made and a very different form of sport, known as the " Vic- 
torian game," has been developed. 

The field of play is from 150 to 200 yards long, and from 
100 to 150 yards wide. The goal posts, being not less than 
20 feet in height, are placed seven yards apart, and a goal is 
scored when the ball is kicked fairly between them at any 
height whatever. This is the only method of scoring, and 
hence constitutes the main object of the game. The ball is 
oval in shape, and 26 inches in circumference. The usual 
number of players composing a side is twenty, though more 
or less than this can be played if sufficient handicaps are 
allowed. The actual time of a match is one hour and forty 
minutes, and is divided into four parts, at the expiration of 
each of which the teams change goals. At the end of the 
second quarter the players rest ten minutes. These pla3^ers 
have certain defined positions, and are supposed to remain in 
nearly the same locality during the entire game, the object 
being to advance the ball forward to the " goal sneak," who 
is an accurate kicker and should stand in front of the goal 
in order to accept any opportunity to score. 

The ball can be advanced by kicking or running, provided 
in the latter case that the runner bounds it on the ground 
once in every seven yards. No tackling is allowed, but a 
runner is obliged to drox^ the ball as soon as he is touched by 
an opponent. " Shepherding," or protecting a player who is 
running with the ball from interference by opponents, is 
practiced to some extent, but if too many players thus are 
brought together into a tight mass the referee is bound to 
blow his whistle and stop the game. He then puts the ball 
in play by bounding it on the ground, this being also the 
method of opening a match and of bringing in the ball from 
out of bounds. The referee, in fact, has very wide privi- 




Diagram C. — Australian Game. 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 13 

leges, and must follow tlie play very closely. He can at 
any moment, when he sees any unfair or even ungentlemanly 
conduct on the field, stop the game and again bound the 
ball into play. He also has opportunities to indulge in great 
partiality for either contesting side, but as no man can 
occupy this official position who is not licensed by the Foot- 
ball Association, he has, as it were, a reputation to uphold, 
if he desires to retain his office. The tendency in this game 
is to develop quick, open play, in which skill and science 
shall have more value than strength and weight. 

In the development of this new game the example of Mel- 
bourne has been followed by all Victoria, South Australia, 
and Tasmania, while Queensland and New Zealand are loyal 
to the Eugby Union. 

Canadian Football. Football is played to a considera- 
ble extent in Canada, where the various provinces play dif- 
ferent games. For instance, in Halifax, Winnipeg, and 
Victoria, the English Rugby Union rules are adopted, while 
the Ontario, Quebec, and Canadian Unions play under their 
own rules. 

The Canadian game is played by fifteen men on a side, on 
a field 110 yards long by 65 yards wide. The goals are the 
same as in the English Rugby game. At the kick-off, which 
opens a game, the ball must be kicked at least five yards and 
must not fall out of bounds. When a runner has been fairly 
tackled and held, the ball is placed dead upon the ground 
and the scrimmage^ takes place. Any player of the side 
then having possession of the ball may put it in play by 
rolling it in any direction with his foot. In the mean time 
no opponent can interfere in this operation, which must take 
place immediately, or the side not offending may be awarded 
a free kick by the referee. This method of putting the ball 
in play is nothing but the unpopular custom in England of 
heeling out, which has been adopted as the simplest and 
quickest method of putting an end to the tiresome scrim- 
mage. The ball when thus put in play may be picked up 
and passed to any other player for a run, kick, or any other 

iThe English word "scrummage" has been converted on this side of the 
ocean into " scrimmage." 



i 



14 FOOTBALL 

play. It is unlawful to engage in any unnecessary rough 
play, or to knock or throw the ball forward (except when 
thrown in from touch) under penalty of disqualification or 
award of a free kick to the unoffending side. 

The matches are decided by a majority of points which 
can be scored as follows : goal from a try, 6 ; from drop- 
kick, 5 ; from flying or free kick, by way of penalty, 2 ; 
from free kick, 4 ; a try without the goal, 4 ; safety touch, 
2 ; and rouge, 1. " Safety touch " and " rouge " are the only 
points which need to be explained, the other terms having 
been already mentioned in descriptions of other games. 
Safety touch is similar to the American " safety," and a 
rouge is like the American "touch back," i. e., the former is 
a retreat from danger and performed by the side defending 
its goal, while the latter is merely the result of a kick by 
the opponents passing over the goal line without making a 
goal. The time of a regulation game is two halves of forty 
minutes each, an intermission of ten minutes being left 
between them. 

Gaelic Football. Gaelic football, which has been played 
for several centuries as one of the most popular sports in 
Ireland, was known only traditionally to existing generations 
until November 1, 1884, when, as a result of the general re- 
vival of the national games, the Gaelic Athletic Association 
was formed at Thurles, County Tipperary. Four years later 
a delegation of athletes was sent to America, and in spite 
of setbacks at first, their efforts to establish clubs in the 
neighborhood of New York city were ultimately successful. 
Since then the game has penetrated to the west, and by 1893 
the Gaelic Athletic Association of America included over a 
dozen clubs. 

This game is played on a comparatively large field, exceed- 
ing 140 yards in length and 84 yards in width. The goals, 
situated in the middle of the end boundary lines, consist 
of two upright posts twenty-one feet apart, joined by a cross- 
bar eight feet from the ground. On either side of these goals 
is erected another post at a distance of twenty-one feet. In 
order to score a goal, the ball, w^hich is spherical in shape, 
must be kicked between the centre posts beneath the cross- 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 15 

bar. If it crosses the goal line between the outside posts, 
one point is counted, and in case the goals of a match are 
evenly scored by both contesting teams, a majority of these 
points decides the match. 

The regular Gaelic football team of fifteen men is composed 
of the following players : one goal keeper ; two full-backs ; 
two half-backs ; three centres ; two wing centres ; two for- 
wards ; two Aving forwards ; and one full forward. These 
men occupy relative positions on the field as indicated by 
their titles. The only allowable methods of advancing the 
ball are by kicking, striking, or ^'hopping." This latter 
trick is performed by a player who, as he runs, bounds the 
ball on the ground before him at least once in every three 
paces. The ball is put in play at the opening of the game 
and after the scoring of a goal, by the referee, who throws 
it in from the side, the men of the two sides having lined 
up opposite to each other, each one holding the hand of an 
opponent. When the ball strikes the ground, all drop hands 
and rush for it. From thence on there is no cessation in 
the play until a score is made, except when a foul occurs. 
If a player be detected in committing any unfair or unneces- 
sarily rough action, the referee may either disqualify him or 
award a free kick to the other side, according to his own 
judgment. 

A free kick is also awarded to a player making a fair 
catch, in which case the opponents are not allowed to ap- 
proach nearer than fourteen yards to the '^ marked spot," 
and the kick can be made in any direction desired. When 
the ball passes over the goal line outside of all the posts, 
the goal keeper has a free kick, his opponents lining up at a 
distance of twenty-one yards from the line. When the ball 
goes out of bounds on the side of the field, it is thrown in 
in any direction by the opposite side to that which last 
touched it in the field of play. 

The play in a regular Gaelic match lasts during two half- 
hour halves, with an intermission of ten minutes, when the 
goals are changed, and is governed by two umpires and a 
referee. In case of disagreement between the former, the 
decision of the latter is final. The referee also keeps the 



16 FOOTBALL 

time, and can call the game at any moment on account of 
darkness or unfair play. The validity of goals and points 
is decided by goal umpires, one at each end of the held. 

This game as a whole is founded upon very simple princi- 
ples, and is so full of action and life that it is very interest- 
ing, even to a spectator unacquainted with all the rules. 

Thanksgiving Day Football of New England. The 
oldest phase of the game of football as known in tlie United 
States was when the inhabitants of jSTew England, several 
generations ago, used to adjourn to the back yards of their 
houses, after the proper discussion of their Thanksgiving 
dinners, and the men of the party would amuse themselves 
by kicking about an inflated pig's bladder amid great joy 
and enthusiasm from their audiences. This innocent form 
of the game was, however, soon followed by the development 
of a crude and rough sport, which claimed some similarity 
to the English kicking or dribbling game. Eules, if they 
existed, were merely local, and knotty points had to be 
discussed and decisions made upon the held of play and at 
all times during the game. As such a pastime the game was 
played to some extent by the students at the various col- 
leges. 

Freshman-Sophomore Matches. At Yale an annual 
match between the Sophomores and Freshmen was a regu- 
larly instituted custom after 1840, the challenge and its 
acceptance being posted in a prominent place upon the door 
of Old Chapel. Such games, as described by eyewit- 
nesses, were almost open riots, and resembled the more 
lately established annual rushes between these classes more 
than the modern form of football. The students fought 
with each other as much, if not more, than for the ball, which 
is described as " a round bladder ball inclosed in a leather 
case." 

The challenge and acceptance for the last of these matches, 
between the classes of 1860 and 1861, read as follows : — 

" Sophomores, — The class of '61 hereby challenge the 
class of '60 to a game of football, best two in three. 

In behalf of the Class of '61." 

The answer : — 



I 



TOUCH 
IN GOAL 




IN GOAL 
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IN COAL 






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IN COAL 



Diagram D. — American Intercollegiate Game. 



THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL 17 

" ' Come ! 
And like sacrifices in their trim, 
To the fire-eyed maid of smoky war, 
All hot and bleeding we will offer you,* 

"To our youthful friends of the Class of '61, — We hereby 
accept your challenge to play the noble and time-honored 
game of football. 

In behalf of the Class of '60." 

After that year the faculty put a stop to these annual 
matches. 

Quiescent Stage of American Game. During the fol- 
lowing years, until 1870, football was practically dead at 
Yale. The class of '72, however, was very fond of all athletic 
sports, and participated especially in long hare and hound 
runs. The revival of football was due in a large measure to 
Mr. D. S. Schaff, formerly of Eugby School, who entered 
the class of '73, and succeeded in making the sport popular 
among his classmates, and eventually formed an association 
which sent challenges to the other classes. In 1871, four 
interclass matches were played upon a field at some distance 
from the college. 

By this time other colleges had adopted the sport in the 
same crude manner, and some matches were played by them. 
In October, 1873, a convention was held at New York be- 
tween Columbia, Princeton, Eutgers, and Yale, a set of rules 
was adopted, and thus was laid the foundation of the regu- 
lar intercollegiate matches. 



CHAPTER II 

EXPLANATION OF THP] GAMP: AS NOW PLAYED 

Introduction. There are many persons unacquainted 
with the game of football who desire to so far comprehend 
the rules of the game as to be able to understand the gen- 
eral points of the play, and follow intelligently the opera- 
tions on the field. They do not care to enter into a scientific 
study of the game, nor do they wish to be burdened with 
the minor details of the rules. They want merely to be 
told, as clearly and briefly as possible, the primary points of 
the play, leaving all technicalities to a later period, when 
their interest in the game may have advanced to the stage 
of enthusiasm. 

There is, therefore, a legitimate demand for a brief, 
abridged explanation of the game as now played, which 
shall necessarily be inadequate, and in no way attempt to 
embody all features of the rules. The reader who wishes to 
gain a more complete knowledge upon the minor points in 
detail should refer to a later chapter, in which the rules of 
the present season are given. 

The Field. Intercollegiate football, wdiich this book 
will especially consider, is played on a field 330 feet long 
and 160 feet wide. The field is inclosed by a white border 
line, and whenever the ball goes outside of this boundary 
the play ceases until it is returned into the inclosure. The 
spectator will see, beside the boundary lines of the field, a 
large number of white lines crossing the field, each five 
yards apart. These lines are merely an aid to determine 
how far the ball is carried forward or backward. 

The Ball. The ball is a rubber bladder, inclosed within 
a sack of pigskin ; by means of a pump, the bladder is in- 
flated with air up to the limit where it completely fills the 



EXPLA.NATION OF THE GAME AS NOW PLAYED 19 

pigskin sack, and when the pressure reaches a high point, 
the mouth of the bladder is securely tied, the pigskin tightly 
laced, and the ball is ready for use. It is then practically 
as hard as a block of wood, yet of almost no appreciable 
weight. 

The Players. The game is played by two teams, of 
eleven men each. As the only object in the game is to 
advance the ball, these eleven men are placed in positions 
which experience has shown to best meet the varying needs 
of the situation, within the requirements of the rules. A 
forward line of seven men is made, and the ball is given to 
the centre man of this line. This line of seven men is 
called the rush line, and the centre man, to whom the ball 
is given, is called the centre rush, or the centre. The two 
men at the ends of the line are called the end rushers, or the 
ends. The two men located next the centre (one on each 
side) are called the guards, for the reason that they guard 
the centre each time the latter puts the ball in play. The 
two remaining men in the line, located respectively between 
each guard and each end, are called the tackles. The name 
is a purely arbitrary one, and not especially significant or 
well chosen, but it serves as a title by which the position 
may be designated. To the name guard, tackle, or end, we 
prefix the words "right'' or "left," according as the man 
stands on the right or left of the centre- rush. The line, 
then, reading from left to right, would be as follows : left 
end, left tackle, left guard, centre, right guard, right tackle, 
right end. So much for the rush -line, or, as they are some- 
times called, the forwards. 

There are now four men of the eleven left, and they are 
assigned and named as follows : First, the man placed di- 
rectly behind the centre is called the quarter-back. His 
business it is to receive the ball as the centre sends it back, 
and pass it to the player who is to attempt to carry or kick 
it forward. Behind the quarter-back, in a somewhat ex- 
tended triangle, are three men known respectively as the 
left half-back, the right half-back, and the full-back. The 
full-back stands in the centre of the trio, and usually is 
the man who kicks the ball when a kick is desired. 



20 FOOTBALL 

The team occupies substantially these same relative po- 
sitions, whether they are advancing the ball^or opposing the 
advance of the other side. In the latter case, however, the 
full-back of the team, and possibly one other player, are 
located some distance behind the line, to secure the ball m 
case it should be suddenly kicked by the opposing team. 

General Object in the Game. The object m the game 
is to advance the ball from the centre of the field, where 
it is started, until it can be touched to the ground beyond 
the boundary line at the end of the field. This is called a 

"touch-down." ^ ^ ,1 

The two teams line up for the game at the centre of the 
field- the captains of the teams have previously tossed a 
coin 'to see which captain shall have his choice between 
having the ball or deciding on which side of the field he 
prefers to play. The captain winning the toss may elect to 
take the side of the field which will bring his back to the 
sun or give him the help of the wind; or he may elect to 
take first possession of the ball. Whichever he decides, 
the other team must take the alternative ; if he chooses the 
field, they receive the ball; should he take the ball, they 
may choose either side of the field. 

The o-ame is divided into two periods of thirty-five 
minutes ''each, with a ten-minute interval for rest between 
the two periods. Whichever side takes the ball at the open- 
in- of the first half must yield it to the other side at the 
opening of the second half, and the two teams likewise 
change sides upon the field at the opening of the second 
half This is in order to give each team the benefit ot any 
wind that may be blowing, and divide the disadvantage of 
uneven ground, or any adverse conditions associated with 
either side of the field. 

Divisions of the Field. Before beginning the actual 
movement of the game, let us explain here that the last 
boundary line behind each team is called their goal line. 
On the centre of each of these goal lines two posts are 
erected with a cross-bar of wood between the posts, at a 
hei-ht of ten feet from the ground. The posts themselves 
arels^ feet apart. The white lines, which we have previ- 



EXPLANATION OF THE GAME AS NOW PLAYED 21 

ously mentioned as being laid out across the field at inter- 
vals of five yards, may now be more clearly designated. 
The one five yards from either goal line is called the five- 
yard line of the team playing on that half of the field. The 
next is their ten-yard line ; the next their fifteen-yard line ; 
then comes their twenty-yard line, twenty-five-yard line, and 
so up to the centre of the field. It is not customary, how- 
ever, to make use of this method of designation after we 
have passed the forty-yard line, and, indeed, the terms are 
rarely used to designate any distance more than twenty-five 
yards from the goal. Beyond twenty-five yards from either 
goal line, the space is generally designated as " A's terri- 
tory," or " B's territory," or the centre of the field (A and B 
being here used to designate the names of the two respective 
teams). 

The Game Opened. The game opens with the ball in 
the centre of the field. The side which has the ball brings 
its men up on a line with the ball; the opponents must 
retreat at least ten yards back from the ball. As the two 
teams stand in this position, the referee blows his whistle as 
a signal for the play to begin. The game must be opened by 
kicking the ball from the centre of the field, and the object in 
this case is only to kick it as far as possible. By the rules of 
the game, whenever a ball is kicked, it must be kicked at least 
a distance of ten yards into the opponents' territory, and it 
cannot then again be touched by the side which has kicked 
it until it has touched the person of some player on the op- 
posing side or until the person who kicked the ball has gone 
down the field and reached a point on a line with the dis- 
tance the ball has traveled. His action in going down the 
field in this manner puts his entire team in a position tech- 
nically known as " on side," and they may then touch the ball 
before their opponents, if they are able to do so. The oppo- 
nents, who have probably secured the ball themselves from 
this initial kick, are not required to kick it back, but may, if 
they prefer, attempt to rush or run the ball back by giving it 
to one of their own number to carry down the field. Their 
method of putting the ball in play will be by what is known 
as a " scrimmage," and as the ball is put in play at all times 



22 FOOTBALL 

in this manner (with the single exception of the opening 
etfort, which is repeated at the beginning of the second half, 
or whenever a score has been made), it may be well to 
describe the scrimmage. 

A Scrimmage Described. The ball is placed in the hands 
of the centre-rush ; he places it upon the ground, bending 
over it and holding it by one hand. The teams take their 
positions. The quarter-back, as the commanding general, 
issues his instructions, telling his men what particular move- 
ment or attack shall be made to advance the ball. These 
instructions are given by figure or hand signals (usually the 
former), and are always known as the '^ signals." The quar- 
ter-back calls the signal, and usually repeats it once or twice, 
that every member of the team may be familiar with it. 
Each team has its own signals, and they are, of course, 
unintelligible to opponents. 

The ball is then snapped back by the centre into the hands 
of the quarter-back, who instantl}^ passes it to the member 
of the team who is to run with it. The remainder of the 
players block their opponents in any effort they may make 
to reach the runner, and if this "blocking-off" of an oppo- 
nent is done in the rush-line, it is called " blocking ; " but if 
it is done immediately in front of the person of the runner, 
it is called '^interfering for the runner," and the body of 
players who run with the runner, as a sort of bodyguard, 
are called his interferers, or the interference. 

The other side, striving to check the advance of the ball, 
endeavor to get at the runner, to jjrevent his advancing. 
Their primary object is to secure the ball itself; but as this 
is usually impossible, the most that can be done is to check 
him by tackling him and throwing him to the ground, where 
he is then held ; and the referee's whistle instantly blows to 
indicate that no further advance of the ball by this operation 
may be made. 

First, Second, and Third Down. The referee's whistle 
always stops the play after each scrimmage, and the ball is 
not in play again until the two teams have been lined up and 
it has again been snapped back by the centre, as before 
described. Each of these efforts to advance the ball is 



EXPLANATION OF THE GAME AS NOW PLAYED 23 

called a " down ; " and unless the side having the ball can 
advance it five yards in three consecutive downs, the posses- 
sion of the ball must be given to the other side. It follows 
naturally, that if the first two efforts, or downs, are not pro- 
ductive of their full proportion of the five yards distance, the 
third effort will be a kick, which is a virtual relinquishment 
of the ball. If, however, the first two efforts have resulted 
in a good proportionate advance, the team will doubtless con- 
tinue the rushing game, and avoid a kick as long as possible, 
in order to thereby retain possessioi* of the ball, since no 
ground can be gained without possession of the ball, and to 
kick is to practically relinquish it. 

As to the Runner. The handling of the ball by the 
quarter-back, between the centre-rush and the runner, is 
made necessary by a rule of the game, which provides that 
the ball must have touched a third player before any attempt 
can be made to advance it, and that until such time it shall 
not be carried or moved forward. Hence the quarter-back 
is unable to run with the ball himself, and the same prohi- 
bition^ applies to the cBntre-rush, although, if the ball were 
passed later to either of these players, this restriction would 
not be operative. It is also a rule of the game that the ball 
shall never be thrown or passed forward from one player to 
another, and any forward pass counts as a misplay, with 
penalty of loss of the ball. 

Penalties of the Game. There are various minor restric- 
tions in the rules, and some of these restrictions are protected 
by a penalty. The most important of these restrictions, and 
the penalties which attach to them, are as follows : — 

(a) No player, when the ball is about to be put in play, 
shall advance beyond the line of the ball. If he so advances, 
he is designated by the umpire as off-side, and should the 
ball be put in play before he retires behind the line of the 
ball, his side must pay the penalty. This penalty is usually 
loss of the ball, if they have the ball in their possession at 
the time the offense occurs, or a loss of ten yards of distance 
if the ball is not in their possession. A liberal construction 
of this rule will often lead an official to avoid giving this 
penalty, if tlie player who is off-side, realizing his mistake, 



24 FOOTBALL 

does not attempt to take any active part in the manoeuvre, 
and in no way participates in the phiy. 

(b) The use of the liands or arms to hold or detain an 
opponent is prohibited to the side which has the ball, and 
the players of that side (the runner only excepted) can ob- 
struct the progress of their opponents with the body only. 
But the players of the side which has not the ball can use 
their hands and arms to push their opponents out of the way 
in breaking through, though they are rigidly prevented by 
the rules from laying their hands upon, or using hands or 
arms to interfere with an opponent in any other way or at 
any other time, unless that opponent has the ball. The viola- 
tion of any of this class of rules is generally designated as 
"holding," and is visited with the same punishment pre- 
scribed for off-side playing, namely, loss of the ball, or loss 
of ten yards of distance. 

(c) Other general violations of rules are, intentional tack- 
ling of a player below the knees ; striking with the closed 
fist ; throttling, tripping up, or unnecessary roughness of any 
description. No player is allowed to wear projecting nails 
or iron plates on his shoes, or any metal or greasy substance 
on his person. No player, when off-side, is permitted to 
interfere with an opponent who is trying to catch the ball 
after a kick. 

Methods of Scoring Points. There are four ways in 
which points may be scored : to carry the ball across the 
opponents' goal line, and touch it down on the ground is 
known as a touch-down, and scores four points for the side 
accomplishing the feat. Any touch-down gives the right to 
have what is commonly known as a " try-at-goal," which is 
effected by bringing the ball back into the field, on a line 
with the point where it was touched down, and making an 
effort to kick it from any point on this line, over the bar 
between the goal posts. If this kick is successfully accom- 
plished, the touch-down is said to have been converted into a 
goal, and two more points are added to the score. 

A goal may also be obtained by a kick direct from the 
field, provided this kick is not a punt. The usual method of 
making this attempt is by what is known as a drop-kick, 



EXPLANATION OF THE GAME AS NOW PLAYED 25 

which consists of dropping the ball to the ground and kick- 
ing it the instant that it rebounds. If the ball from such a 
kick passes over the bar between the goal posts, it is called 
a goal from the field, or a goal from a field kick, and counts 
five points to the side making it. 

The only other method of scoring is a negative method, by 
which the side having the ball loses two points, and makes 
what is technically . known as a '^ safety." This is accom- 
plished when a player, having received the ball from a player 
of his own side, touches it down behind his own goal line. 
This counts two points against the side making it, and is 
only resorted to as a means of relieving the pressure of a 
fierce attack, and possibly preventing the opponent from 
making the larger score of four points by a touch-down. The 
result of a safety is that the side which has made it is given 
possession of the ball, and allowed to kick it from any point 
up to their own twenty-five-yard line. On this twenty-five- 
yard line the opponents line up, and the kick must be made 
at some point which will lift the ball over the heads of the 
opponents. The ball is, accordingly, kicked from about the 
fifteen-yard line, and if this kick is successful, the immediate 
threatening of the goal by the opponents is brought to an 
end. 

The Ball out of Bounds. If at any time the ball is 
kicked or carried across either side boundary line time is 
immediately called by the referee, and the ball is then strictly 
out of play. It must be brought back by the side gaining 
possession of it, to the point w^here it first crossed the line, 
and there it is usually the custom for the team to take advan- 
tage of the rule permitting it to be brought back into the 
field a given number of yards, and the ball is so brought into 
the field, and placed down for a scrimmage. 

Concluding Definitions. This brief explanation of the 
game may, perhaps, be best concluded by defining a few of 
the common expressions in the game : — 

A fair catch is made when a player, on catching the ball, 
advances either foot, and points his heel into the ground. 
He does this to signify that he will not make any attempt to 
run with the ball, and it protects him from being tackled and 



26 FOOTBALL 

thrown. The making of a fair catch gives a team the privi- 
lege of putting the ball in play at that point, either by a 
scrimmage or a free kick. In the latter case, the side mak- 
ing the catch kicks the ball from that point, and the oppo- 
nents cannot advance nearer that mark than ten yards. 

A punt is an ordinary kick of the ball, made by letting the 
ball fall from the hands and kicking it before it touches the 
ground. 

In touch means out of bounds over the side boundary line. 

There are three officials : an umpire, who decides upon the 
conduct of the players ; a referee, who decides all questions 
relating to the movements of the ball ; and a linesman, who 
marks the distance gained or lost by each down. Substitu- 
tions of one player for another may only be made when a 
player is too seriously injured to continue the game. 

A line-up is the grouping of the players for any play or 
movement. The side which has the ball is restricted by the 
rules from lining up too closely massed together, and the 
old form of wedge plays and the more recent momentum 
plays are not now permitted. 



CHAPTER III 

FINER POINTS OF THE PLAY LIKELY TO BE OVERLOOKED 

A Higher Appreciation. In another chapter we have 
described fully how to watch a game from the ordinary stand- 
point. There should, however, be some special hints given 
in order to enable the spectator to appreciate some of the 
finer points which are likely, otherwise, to escape observa- 
tion. 

Advantages of Present Uniforms and Accessories. 
Before taking up the points of the play, a few suggestions as 
to accessories may, perhaps, awaken additional interest. 

In the first place, the uniforms, which would hardly attract 
attention save as rather soiled and badly fitting garments, 
are the product of considerable study. The original uniform 
consisted of tight-fitting jerseys, and tight, as well as rather 
thin, knickerbockers. There was no padding whatever, and 
nothing to break the force of falls. The first step in reform 
was the adoption of the canvas jacket worn over the jersey. 
The first team to adopt these had them greased as well, in 
order to make them more difiicult to hold. The players who 
were obliged to tackle these men in canvas jackets thereupon 
put resin upon their hands, and later an especially sticky 
substance called Venetian turpentine. It was not long before 
a rule was passed forbidding the use of sticky or greasy sub- 
stances on the person of the player. 

The next reform in uniforms was in the line of padding, 
and the trousers or knickerbockers we see to-day are practi- 
cally loose bags heavily padded at the knees and thighs. 
Padding is also being used more or less in the jackets and 
jerseys. There are also many appliances in the way of shin 
guards, nose guards, and other parts of armor, but there is a 
rule that forbids the use of any metal substance on the per- 



28 FOOTBALL 

son of the player, so that such armor as is used is supposed 
to be of a material that will not injure the opponents. There 
are also individual appliances of all kinds, both as a preven- 
tion and as a cure of injuries, — ankle supporters, knee caps, 
and the like. The shoes have small blocks of leather fas- 
tened to them, taking the place of spikes, in order that the 
runner may not slip. 

A leather uniform was brought out three years ago, and is 
undoubtedly a valuable help on a wet day, as the cloth uni- 
forms absorb so much water as to be very heavy before the 
game is finished. 

How to Judge the Preliminary Actions. To come to 
the play : If one Avatches the kickers and catchers on the 
field before the game commences, he sees that they are, both 
in catching and kicking, changing their positions, and are 
constantly watching with care the flight of the ball. These 
men are endeavoring to discover the force and direction of 
the wind, in order to make proper allowance for it, and also, 
in case of winning the toss, to tell which side to choose. 

Watching these kickers and catchers, it is not a difficult 
matter to pick out the best of them by the ease with which 
they swing at the ball, and the way in which they handle it. 
A good man is apparently taking things very easy, but for 
all that his work is clean. When he kicks, as soon as his 
start is made, his swing increases in speed, and he drives 
the ball with a little side swing that adds many feet to its 
progress. 

As soon as the game starts, the first point of interest to be 
noted is, as described in another chapter, the line-up of the 
side which is to receive the ball. The strategy of the open- 
ing play lies in the kicking side placing the ball in the 
most inconvenient spot for the opponents to return it either 
by a run or a kick. On the other hand, the side that receives 
the ball arranges its men so as to prevent the kicking side 
from landing the ball in any place where it cannot be re- 
turned a considerable distance. 

What to Watch in a Scrimmage. A Stiff Line. The 
points to be noted in a scrimmage are many. Chief, perhaps, 
among them is the relative superiority of the two lines. 



FINER POINTS OF THE PLAY 29 

Some idea of this can be gathered by the spectator from the 
relative " stiffness " of the two. This is a term which indi- 
cates the ability of one line to stand up against the other, 
and hold their own or even push the opponents back. If 
the spectator Avill glance along the line just as the ball is 
snapped, he will speedily learn to judge which of the two 
lines yields the most in the scrimmage. And almost with- 
out exception the team which is the stiffer in the line will 
prove the superiority of its forward play during the game. 

The second point to be noted in a scrimmage is of similar 
character, and that is the ability of the men on the defense 
to break through and smash the interference or reach the 
runner before he gets up to the line upon which the ball is 
down. The line which can do this will make it very uncom- 
fortable for both the interference and the runner before the 
game has ended. 

Good Quarter Play. When one realizes that every 
instant gained between the time of putting the ball in play 
and the time of landing it in the hands of the runner is of 
the greatest value, he can and will watch with more interest 
the motions and playing of the little quarter-back. The 
sharper the play just behind the scrimmage in this respect, 
the better the game. Another point of superiority in the 
quarter-back is his ability to pass the ball and get into the 
interference as well. The spectator will see a good quarter 
receive the ball and actually get started on his run at the 
same moment that he passes it to the runner. 

Ho^v to predict a Kick. It is not always easy even for 
the umpire to be sure when a side is going to kick the ball. 
They may kick it on the first down, the second down, or the 
third down. Of course, a great many kicks are made on the 
third down, because that is the last chance, but it is now by 
no means unusual in good teams to see kicks made much 
earlier than that. 

Probably the best way for the spectator to judge whether 
a kick is to be made is to watch the opposing full-back. 
Owing to the fact that it is almost imperative for him to 
know when a kick is to be made, one can rest assured that 
his powers of observation are probably the best of any one's 



30 FOOTBALL 

on the field. If the spectator, tlierefore, will glance at him 
when the lines are drawn up, he will be greatly aided in 
judging this point, for he can make up his mind that as soon 
as the full-back commences to run back there is likely to be 
a kick by the opponents. Of course, there are other indi- 
cations which foretell a kick, as the stepping back, and sepa- 
rating of the backs on the side holding the ball, and, in 
close formations, the hasty running back of the full-back on 
the side holding the ball. It is impossible for any one to 
tell certainly when a quarter-back kick is to be made, but an 
occasional glance at the end rushers is the best way to find 
out what the intention is. An end rusher will usually drop 
back farther for a quarter-back kick, and will go out toward 
the end on an ordinary kick. 

What constitutes Good Play by End and Tackle. In 
watching the play of the line it should be observed that a 
good end will protect the side of the field carefully against 
any runs when he is on the defense, and will at the same 
time shoot in and seize the runner after the tackle has broken 
the interference. A poor end, on the other hand, is apt to 
hug the edge of the field and be undecided about the time 
when he should go in. In judging the quality of an end 
the spectator should also take into consideration the speed 
with which he gets down under kicks. An end ought to be 
always by the side of, or in front of, the man who catches 
the kick. That is his first duty, and clever men will almost 
always accomplish it, in spite of the attempts of the oppo- 
nents to stop them. 

A good tackle is one who breaks through his opponent 
and reaches the interference or the runner before either gets 
to the line. Good blocking is the kind that prevents just this 
breaking through of the tackle. A man is not allowed to 
use his arms or hands in blocking when his own side have 
the ball, and hence it is particularly interesting to see how 
he accomplishes the feat of holding his opponent back. 

Good Interference. Good interference is the kind that 
moves rapidly ahead of the runner with the ball, so that he 
does not have to slow up to prevent his over-running it, and 
which yet holds its formation securely. 



FINER POINTS OF THE PLAY 31 

A Good Run. Kever be deceived into thinking a good 
run has been made when the man merely goes across the 
field. Many an otherwise good player loses his chance to 
get on a 'Varsity team from the fact that he runs too far 
across the field, or even runs back. It is the advance that 
counts, and not the distance over which the runner passes, 
and the spectator should always bear this in mind, and he 
will not then make erroneous judgments about the quality 
of a man's playing. 

Judicious Kicking. Good kicking is the kind which, 
while always high enough to enable the ends to get down 
under it, nevertheless gains a considerable distance for the 
side making the kick. In playing against the wind, kicks 
must necessarily be low and strong. In playing with the 
wind they should be high in order that the wind may get its 
full effect upon the ball. When the side is so near the oppo- 
nents' goal that a kick will drive the ball across the goal line, 
either a drop-kick should be tried, or else a punt should be 
made over toward the side of the field, crossing the touch line 
before it does the goal line. For, if it crosses the goal line 
the opponents can bring it out twenty-five yards, whereas, 
crossing the side line, they must put it in play where it 
crosses the line, and it may result in their being obliged to 
make a safety. There is a good deal of skill displayed in 
this kicking, and the quality of a full-back or a kicking 
back should be judged considerably on his ability to do this. 

A Punt-Out. The punt-out is a rather delicate proceed- 
ing and not often resorted to. To punt-out well a man 
should be able to land the ball so that the man catching it is 
considerably nearer, and in a more direct line with the goal. 
That is the only test of a good punt-out. 



CHAPTER IV 

HOW TO WATCH A GAME 

Watching the Practice if possible. Any one desirous 
of enjoying to the full, as a spectator, a football match 
should arrange to watch the practice of some team for a few 
days preparatory to- viewing one of the important games. It 
is surprising how readily, in this way, the main points of the 
play impress themselves upon the on-looker. 

But it is by no means always possible, and seldom practi- 
cable, for the average spectator to go through this preliminary 
preparation. For this reason the following chapter is offered 
for the benefit of the spectator who plans to see, as a very 
first experience, one of the big match games in the fall. 

Preparing for the Game : Getting a Seat. The first 
thing to do is to secure a seat. Here there is but one advice 
to give, and that is, get the best. By the " best " is meant a 
seat near the middle of the field, preferably rather high up 
on the stands, in order that people running along the side 
lines will not obstruct the view, and back to the sun. Avoid 
the top seat, however, because there is likely to be a cold 
wind that chills one to the marrow, and a good deal of this 
is escaped by sitting farther down. Dress warmly, and above 
all things wear easy, "comfortable shoes, because even in 
moderate weather, sitting out in the late fall is cold work, 
and the feet are the first to feel the discomfort. 

These may seem small matters of detail, but if you are 
going to watch a football game, the only way to get real 
enjoyment out of it is to be perfectly comfortable, or as 
nearly so as possible in j^our surroundings. Then you can 
give your undivided attention to the game. 

Difficulty of appreciating the Skill exhibited. With- 
out doubt, the spectator watching his first football match 



HOW TO WATCH A GAME 33 

feels a pleasurable excitement born of the very evident and 
easily appreciated struggle for supremacy going on between 
the two parties, but, so far as seeing any indications of 
special skill or design, it is likely enough that, unless his 
attention were called to it, he would not believe there was the 
least method in the apparently mad tumbling and pushing 
of the contestants. Football suffers, or rather has suffered, 
very much from the fact that it requires a knowledge of the 
game in order to be able to appreciate its real worth, both 
as a sport for sport's sake, and as a means of developing 
character. 

We have already described the preparations that should be 
made in order to see a game. In the matter that follows we 
presuppose that the spectator has come prepared for enjoy- 
ment, and is comfortably seated, ready for the game to begin. 

Why the Field is a Gridiron. The first things that 
attract the eye on entering the field are the white lines which 
divide it into spaces. The time was, and that only a dozen 
years ago, when there were no such markings, the centre of 
the field and two lines twenty-five yards from each goal being 
the only marks inside the field of play. But the game was 
beginning to suffer because there was too little progress of 
the ball, and it became necessary to enact a rule that a side 
must do something with the ball which should produce 
tangible results, or else give it up to the other side. The 
rule took the shape that a side must advance the ball five 
yards in three attempts or take it back twenty yards. Fail- 
ing to do either, they must surrender possession of it to their 
opponents. - In order to readily determine these distances, 
the field is now marked with white lines every five yards. 

Preliminary Practice. As the players come out upon 
this '-gridiron'' field, as it is called, the} begin to practice, 
some kicking and catching, others passing and rolling the 
ball about, one after another dropping suddenly to the 
ground and clasping the ball in his arms. The men who are 
kicking and catching are probably the half-backs and backs 
of the team, for that is one part of their work when the 
actual play begins. Those who are " falling on the ball " are 
for the most part the big fellows of the team, and make up 



34 FOOTBALL 

the rusli-line, or forwards. They fall on the ball in order 
to limber up, and because occasions to do this will offer in a 
game ; and to secure possession of the ball and retain that 
possession is one of the chief factors in winnhig a match. 

The Toss of the Coin. The two gentlemen in citizen's 
attire just coming upon the field are the referee and umpire, 
and the former calls the two captains of the opposing teams 
up to him ; they then toss for choice of position, as described 
in the preceding chapter. 

The Line-up. As soon as the choice is settled, and the 
referee has given the word to line up, you can tell which side 
is to kick, because that side will line up at the centre of the 
field, while the others will spread themselves generously over 
the other half, no one being nearer the ball than a line ten 
yards in front of it. They spread out thus, in order to 
thoroughly cover the entire territory where the opponent 
is likely to kick the ball, for they must have a man wherever 
it can possibly come, to the end that the opponents may 
secure no immediate advantage. With a very strong kicker 
and against but little Avind, the side having the kick-off will 
most probably try to drive the ball across the goal line on 
the first kick. It is of no avail to kick it over the cross-bar 
at kick-off, because the rules provide that on this occasion it 
would not score a goal, even if it did so cross the bar. But 
if there be a strong wind, or if the kicker be not sufficiently 
powerful to be reasonably sure of sending the ball over the 
line, the side having the kick-off will probabl}^ not attempt 
to send the ball as far as possible, but instead will kick it 
only a moderate distance — perhaps to the twenty-five-yard 
line — endeavoring to make rather a high kick of it. The 
reason for this is that they thus enable their own men to get 
down under it (for they cannot start ahead of the ball), and 
thus prevent the receiving opponents from running the ball 
back a considerable distance. This the opponents are sure 
to try to do ; so at the kick-off it is especially interesting 
to note what disposition the captain of the opponents has 
made of his men. 

Interference. He will endeavor to so arrange them that 
they shall not only be able to reach the ball quickly, no 



HOW TO WATCH A GAME 35 

matter where it be kicked,, but also so that the player thus 
taking it may be very speedily protected by two or three 
others of his side who will interpose between him and the 
oncoming men of the side which has kicked the ball. This 
act of interposing to protect the man with the ball is called 
interference, and there is much of it performed during the 
progress of a game. It assists the runner by preventing 
the opponents from tackling him, and is legitimate so long as 
those who interfere do not use their hands or arms in per- 
forming this office for their runner. 

When the kick-off is made, it is not considered good play 
by the recipient to let the ball fall to the ground, and take it 
on the bound, if it can be avoided, because more time is con- 
sumed than if it be taken on the fly, and so the opponents 
will have more chance to collect about the man taking the 
ball, and probably prevent the run. More than this, it is 
impossible to tell in what direction the oval-shaped ball will 
bound, so that to catch the ball on the bound is a very dif- 
ficult operation. Each side will avoid it whenever possible. 

What the Recipient of the Ball May Do. A Pair 
Catch. The man who receives the ball may, if he chooses, 
make a fair catch, and take a free kick. If he does this, he 
will make a mark with .his heel while in the act of catching the 
ball. It is not always good policy on taking the kick-off to 
thus " heel it," because the player can often gain more ground 
by running with the ball. Usually, therefore, we see the 
run with interference, as mentioned above. But the runner 
does not often make many yards before the opponents break 
through the interference, using their hands freely to do this, 
and bring down the runner. 

A Down and Scrimmage. When this is accomplished, 
and the runner brought to a standstill, or thrown upon the 
ground, so that further progress of the ball is prevented, 
the referee blows his whistle, and a down occurs, that is, the 
ball is put down for a scrimmage, and the ball is put in play 
again, as described in the previous chapter. 

Attack and Defense. The snap-back sends the ball 
back with his hand, and at the same time he and his com- 
panions in the line will guard and protect the runner from 



3(; FOOTBALL 

the attack of the opponents, who, at the moment the ball 
is snapped, endeavor to break through and reach the runner. 
The real theory of defense lies nowadays in a very bold 
repulse ; that is, in so precipitately breaking through tlie 
opponent's line as to prevent the runner from reaching it with 
a fair start, and with his interferers well arranged. For if 
the runner succeeds in getting this protected start into the 
line, he is reasonably sure to gain two yards or more, which 
means that in three downs or tries he will have advanced 
the necessary five yards, and can retain the ball for three 
more attempts. Hence the most frequently repeated feature 
of the game is the onslaught of the rushers, one side endeav- 
oring to break through, and having the right to use the 
hands and arms in so doing ; the other side resisting with all 
its power this fierce attack, and obliged to refrain from the 
use of hands or arms in repelling. Behind these rushers 
come, with swift advance, the interferers and the runner 
with the ball, making for a preconcerted opening which the 
rushers are trying to prepare for them in the line. 

Kicks and Pake Kicks. Again the runner is finally 
brought to earth, and another scrimmage is formed, and so 
the play goes on until, either from inability to advance the 
ball, or because a kick seems advisable, the man who receives 
the ball from the quarter (or it may be directly from the 
snap-back), punts it, that is, drops it from his hand, and 
kicks it before it strikes the ground, sending it usually high 
in the air and well down the field, while his end rushers, and 
perhaps one or two others in the line, charge down the field, 
and endeavor to be upon the man who receives the ball in 
time to prevent his returning the kick, or running with the 
ball. 

But it may be only a " fake" kick, that is, all the arrange- 
ments are apparently made for a kick, and then, just as the 
ball is snapped back, it is quickly passed to a man who 
stands close behind the line, and who endeavors to plunge 
through. Or it may be passed properly to the man who is 
evidently about to make the kick, and he himself then tries 
a run around the end of the line. 

Drop-Kick. So the game proceeds in a succession of 



HOW TO WATCH A GAME 37 

downs or scrimmages^ resulting in runs or kicks, until one 
side or the other succeeds in getting the ball within kicking 
distance of their opponents' goal. They may decide to try a 
drop-kick. The line forms exactly as above described, ex^ 
cept that the half-backs go up into the line, too, it may be. 
Then the man who is to kick receives the ball and drops it 
to the ground in front of him ; just as it rises, he kicks it. 
To the inexperienced spectator it is almost impossible to tell 
whether he kicked it just after it touched the ground, or at 
the same moment as the impact. If he succeed in kicking 
it over the goal bar by this kind of a kick, it counts his side 
five points, and the opponents take the ball back to the cen- 
tre of the field, and kick off again. 

Kick-Out. If he miss the goal, the game proceeds as 
before, save that, if the ball goes over the goal line, the 
opponents may bring it out, and from some point inside the 
twenty-five-yard line kick out, that is, kick it as far away 
from their goal as possible, keeping it, however, within the 
bounds of the field. There is one exception to this, and that 
is, if the side threatening the goal try a drop-kick on a " first 
down " inside the twenty-five-yard line, the defenders can 
only kick out from behind the ten-yard line. This rule was 
made in order to put a premium upon drop-kicks, which are' 
always popular and usually rare. But the temptations of 
the running game are still too strong, and drop-kicks are not 
more used than formerly. 

A Touch-Down. If the players do not try the drop-kick, 
as above described, but persist in running with the ball, and 
at last are able to carry it across the goal line, they have 
scored a touch-down which counts them four points, and also 
gives them the privilege of an undisturbed try-at-goal, and 
this try, if successful, adds two more points to their score. 

Try-at-Goal. Having secured the touch-down, the try- 
at-goal is made in one of two ways. The simpler is that in 
which a man of the side that has made the touch-down brings 
the ball out in his arms, making a mark on the goal line as 
he crosses it, and, after bringing the ball out, in a straight 
line, to such distance as he thinks proper, holds it for an- 
other of his side to take a place-kick at goal. The holder 



38 FOOTBALL 

does not put the ball on the ground until the kicker is all 
read}' to kick it, and has secured his aim, because the de- 
fenders of the goal are obliged to keep behind their goal line 
until the ball touches the ground ; then they can charge at 
once. 

Try by a Punt-Out. The second and more complicated 
method of trying for goal from a touch-down is by means of 
what is called a punt- out. This in reality is only a way 
of getting the ball more nearly in front of the goal posts for 
a kick, and is, therefore, seldom used, except when a touch- 
down is made quite well over toward the side line. When 
this is the case, a player of the side which has made the 
touch-down brings the ball in a straight line up to the goal 
line, and there makes a mark with his heel, but he does not 
cross the line. Instead, he retires back from the line a step 
and a little distance away from the goal. His own men form 
not less than five yards out from the goal line, and it is to 
some one of them that he punts the ball for a fair catch. 

The player who is to thus catch the ball stands as nearly 
over in front of the goal as he can go and yet render the 
kick and catch reasonably safe. The defenders of the goal 
may line up on either side of the punter's mark at a dis- 
tance of not less than five feet from that mark, but behind 
their goal line, and they cannot interfere with the punter 
until he actually kicks the ball. The man who catches the 
ball makes a mark with his heel while in the act of catch- 
ing it, and that mark serves in determining the position of 
both sides exactly as any fair-catch mark. The rest of the 
kick at goal is the same as in an ordinary try. 

Time of Game and Scoring. After a touch-down and 
try-at-goal, whether the goal be kicked or not, the ball goes 
back to the centre of the field, and is kicked off by the side 
against whom the touch-down has been scored. Thus the 
game proceeds for thirty-five minutes of actual play, time 
being taken out for delays of any nature, and also while the 
tries-at-goal are made, as well as at kick-out, kick-off, and 
free kicks. After this period of play, there follows an 
intermission of ten minutes, and then play is resumed for 
another thirty-five minutes. When the play is thus re- 



HOW TO WATCH A GAME 39 

sumed, the side which did not have the kick-off at the 
beginning of the match kicks off from the centre of the 
field. At the end of the second period of play, the side that 
has scored the most points (a goal from a touch-down count- 
ing six ; from a field kick, five ; a touch-down failing goal 
counting four) wins the match. 

Officials and Fouls. In conclusion, a word about 
officials. There are three officials on the field. The ref- 
eree, whom we have already mentioned as the one who tosses 
the coin for the choice of sides. He is " judge of the ball," 
as the expression goes ; that is, he decides all questions of 
fact as far as the position and the progress of the ball are 
concerned. He also rules regarding interference with the 
snap-back, forward passing, and the quarter-back's running 
with the ball without first passing it, all of which are for- 
bidden acts. 

The umpire is the judge of the conduct of the players, and 
he calls all fouls with the exception of interference with the 
man who is to put the ball in play in the centre, forward 
passing, and running with the ball by the quarter-back, as 
before mentioned. The most common of these fouls or for- 
bidden points are, interfering by use of the hands or arms, 
as already described, getting between the ball and the oppo- 
nents' goal, piling up on the runner when he is down, inter- 
fering, when off-side, with the man about to make a catch, 
and all unnecessary roughness and brutality. 

The third official is the linesman, who marks out the dis- 
tances gained or lost. He usually walks along the side lines 
of the field, and it is customary for him to have an assistant. 

All points not covered by the umpire, the referee has 
absolute power to decide. 



CHAPTER V 

EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE PLAYERS 

Divisions of the Subject. The effects of football upon 
its players may be classed under two heads, physical and 
moral. We will take up briefly the benefits and detriments 
to the player, under each of these heads ; restricting the dis- 
cussion, however, to those factors which really belong to 
football, and not including the unquestioned evils and 
abuses which have connected themselves with the game 
as outside excrescences, nor the equally unquestioned ad- 
vantages to the general public of a healthy interest in 
athletics. 

Limitations of the Argument. As outside evils, the 
selection of a holiday, like Thanksgiving Day, for the date 
of a great match, to be played in a leading city ; the gam- 
bling which inevitably precedes the game, and the rowdyism 
which too frequently follows it, are not arguments against 
the game of football per se. They do not concern the 
player who plays the game on the campus of his academy 
or college, in a quiet country town. In the limits of this 
chapter, as defined by its title, we shall only discuss the 
personal effect of football, and not refer to outside or col- 
lateral effects. 

Physical Advantages. It has been claimed that foot- 
ball lays undue emphasis on phj^sical prowess ; yet the 
benefit to the 2:)layer from a physical standpoint will be 
found to be inferior to the benefits from a moral or mental 
standpoint. 

The physical benefits, however, are very real and very 
important. jSTo game develops so many muscles in a given 
time as does the game of football. No game so thoroughly 
develops the man, when it is properly played. The running. 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE PLAYERS 41 

dragging, pushing, dodging, vigorous struggle, up and down 
the field, is as well calculated to bring into activity the 
physical powers of the player as any exercise that has ever 
been invented. It has been repeatedly demonstrated by the 
physical directors at our leading colleges, that a large ma- 
jority of the students who play football finish the season 
with greatly improved physiques. (See Note A at end of 
chapter.) 

Oflacial Proscription and the Strength Test. It 
would seem as though, in the face of this testimony, the 
case might fairly be rested without argument. It may be 
claimed, however, that the violent exercise of football is 
too great a strain upon many young men who attempt to 
play it. It must not be forgotten that the strength and 
vigor of young men varies greatly in proportion to their age 
and bodily measurements. Consequently, in view of the 
possible injury to a student from playing the game before 
he is strong enough for its demands, the authorities of 
nearly all the colleges and schools have for years insisted 
upon a physical examination of every candidate who desires 
to play football, and have prescribed by strict regulation 
the strength and capacity which a student must attain before 
he can be permitted to play. 

This precautionary measure is of the greatest value, for it 
is true in football, as in many other things, that what is 
one man's meat is another's poison ; and the sport which 
healthy young men may play with comparatively little 
danger, and with every prospect of deriving benefit there- 
from, cannot be undertaken by weaklings or invalids, whose 
courage and zeal are often in excess of their bodily ability. 

A Common Error. We must not make the error of 
judging the strain upon the football player by a comparison 
with our own physical abilities, unless we keep constantly in 
mind the great difference in strength and endurance between 
a person undergoing a course of football training and one of 
the same size, age, and weight who is not accustomed to 
vigorous exercise. This difference may be fairly represented 
by the ratio of 3^ to 1. In other words, the player in 
training has 3^ times the strength and endurance of the 



42 FOOTBALL 

student who does not take vigorous bodily exercise. (See 
Note D at end of chapter.) 

Physical Disadvantages. The physical disadvantage of 
football is the liability to injury, resulting partly from 
accident, and partly from injudicious methods of training. 

Injuries from Accidents. Accidents in football are of 
much less frequent occurrence than is popularly supposed, 
for only those who follow the subject closely have any reali- 
zation of the large number of students at all our schools and 
colleges who are playing football, and the relatively small 
number of accidents. If we take a single college like Har- 
vard or Yale, we shall find that the 'Varsity squad alone is 
composed, in the earlier weeks of the season, of as many 
as four separate elevens, and will nearly always number as 
many as forty players. Added to these are four class teams, 
each composed of two elevens, making eighty-eight more 
players, or a total of one hundred and thirty-two. Yet even 
this falls short of the number who are playing the game at 
any one of the larger colleges. Harvard alone grants from 
175 to 200 permits to play football every fall. 

Considering the thousands of young men in our schools 
and colleges, as well as in the many athletic associations, and 
those in all our country towns who are playing football, it is 
not surprising that some injuries are received. But the fact 
that the serious injuries are so few, considering the violence 
of the exercise and the number of chances for accidents, is 
itself an evidence of the strong physique which the game 
bestows upon the player. 

A Comparison with Other Sports. It must be con- 
ceded that the maxim of " nothing venture, nothing have " 
applies to football, as to all other sports. The increased 
bodily vigor must be purchased by bodily activity, and this 
involves a certain degree of bodily risk. Yet the injuries in 
football have been greatly overestimated by the newspapers, 
and are much misunderstood by the public. It can be proved 
that there is an equal element of danger in most sports and 
pastimes, just as there is a chance of injury in many of the 
simplest daily duties and occupations. There have been 
serious injuries from the feminine games of croquet and 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE PLAYERS 43 

tennis ; while the accidents from such legitimate amusements 
as bowling, sailing, baseball, cricket, rowing, horseback 
riding, coasting, shooting, swimming, lacrosse, and golf are 
in quite large proportion to the numbers of those engaged in 
them. What man is there who has not, as a boy, suffered 
accidents in such amusements ? To prove that football is 
a dangerous pastime, it is first necessary to prove that not 
only is the proportion of accidents in football in excess of 
those in other sports, but that such accidents are necessarily 
incidental to football as it is played at the leading colleges 
of the country. (See Note C at end of chapter.) 

The Real Source of Danger. It must be borne in mind 
that the liability to injury in football increases in propor- 
tion to the youth of the player, his inexperience, and the 
lack of intelligent precautions, with the absence of proper 
methods of training. Just as the driving accidents in Central 
Park are in large proportion confined to persons who do not 
know how a horse should be harnessed or driven, so the great 
majority of injuries in football are scarcely accidents, but 
the natural occurrences among those who have never pre- 
pared for the game by proper training. No young man is fit 
to play football until he has been thoroughly coached, and 
knows how to attempt the various movements he may be 
called upon to perform, in a way which shall not be harmful 
to him. When properly coached, he may, without the slight- 
est risk, do many things which would be distinctly dangerous 
for one who had not had the benefit of this instruction. 

An Exaggeration. One other point must not be over- 
looked. Football has been prominently before the public 
eye ; it has been a bone of contention, and has aroused 
exaggerated feeling in both parties to the conflict. In all 
this dispute the law of proportion has been as much violated 
as in the public discussion of certain rare and exceptional 
diseases (as hydrophobia), which have both here and abroad 
led to most extraordinary legislation, with many remarkable 
schemes and propositions for relief, although the disease 
itself has been so rare that it does not figure as a cause of 
death in the statistics of any great city of the world. 

Possible Injuries to the Nervous System. There is. 



44 FOOTBALL 

however, a form of injury to the nervous system which may 
be occasioned by violent physical or nervous shock ; and it is 
proper that we should look closely at football and determine 
whether the player is liable to such injury from the severe 
blow occasioned by the collision of two players, or the violent 
throwing of a player to the ground. This attitude of the 
question has been quite carefully examined by Dr. Morton 
Prince, of Boston, and the result of his investigations is here 
communicated, under date of May 8, 1896, as follows : — 

I am very glad, in response to your request, to give you 
the results of my inquiries into possible injuries to the ner- 
vous system from football playing. My inquiries have been 
directed into a special class of injuries. You must know 
that persons who are subjected to violent concussions, phy- 
sical and nervous shocks (whether the shock be slight or 
severe) are liable to suffer from certain nervous accidents 
which are technically known as traumatic neuroses ; they 
used to be called spinal concussion and "railway spine," the 
latter term being derived from the fact that such injuries 
are very common after railroad accidents. They may follow 
almost any accident in which there has been a severe phy- 
sical or psychical shock. For example, they frequently are 
caused by falling from a height, or tumbling down steps, or 
indeed simply slipping and tumbling backward on to the 
ground ; they are not uncommon as a result of carriage acci- 
dents, collision, etc., etc. 

So common are these accidents that the courts are full of 
cases which are the subject of litigation in the matter of 
damages. 

The symptoms which are most commonly met with in such 
cases are : paralysis of the arms and legs, or both ; loss of 
sensation in different parts of the body ; impairment or loss 
of sight ; severe pains, generally located in the region which 
was the seat of the blow ; general prostration ; and various 
mental disturbances of different kinds, such as inability to 
apply the mind, irritability, loss of mental control and 
emotion. There are numerous other symptoms of this disease, 
but it is unnecessary to detail them further here. 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME OX THE PLAYEKS 45 

These injuries to the nervous system may be very severe, 
completely disabling the injured person, and may last for 
many years. It occurred to me that if the generally accepted 
view regarding the exciting cause of these accidents be true, 
they should be common among football players. Any one 
who has watched a game must have been struck with the 
great momentum with which players frequently strike 
the ground or come together, and the severe blows that, in 
consequence, are inflicted on all parts of the body. The 
physical blow resulting from a man weighing 160 pounds 
being thrown to the ground when running at full speed, or 
when two such players collide, must be tremendous. It must 
far exceed the shock inflicted in many railway accidents, 
where, for example, a passenger may be simply " thrown out 
of his seat, without any external injury being inflicted upon 
him ; and yet that passenger may afterwards suffer from 
extreme nervous injuries of the kind I have above described. 

With a view to determining whether such injuries may 
result from football accidents, I wrote the attending sur- 
geons, or those in charge of the principal football teams of 
the country, asking whether they had ever known a player 
to suffer from a traumatic neurosis as a result of a football 
accident. 

All my correspondents stated that they had never seen 
any injury of the kind I have described result from football 
accidents. I may further state that, while I myself have 
seen a great many injuries of the kind resulting from all 
sorts of accidents, I have never seen a single case which was 
due to football playing. Ifrom this evidence I think there 
is little doubt that whatever may result from football play- 
ing, traumatic neuroses are not caused by the game. 

Yours truly, 

Morton Prixce, M. D. 

This would seem to dispose of the hypothesis that there 
might be injury to the nervous system from the violent exer- 
cises of the game. 

Injuries from Imperfect Training. Added to acci- 
dents, there is injury done to the player through injudicious 



46 FOOTBALL 

inetliods of training, or the lack of all training. It is a de- 
plorable fact that there is wide-spread ignorance on the 
general subject of training. I'erhaps it seems singular to 
the casual observer that a young man with a fine natural 
physique should necessarily change the diet that has given 
him this exceptional vigor, now that he has most need for 
that vigor. In training for football, however, his diet, habits, 
hours, and method of life should be subjects of special care 
and oversight, to the end that his physical condition may 
successfully withstand the increased exercise which he is 
about to undertake. There is also need of care that, in the 
zeal for the game and the spirit of emulation, he should not 
overwork. Training is necessary, and it should be wisely 
directed. There is one training for speed, a different train- 
ing for endurance or wind, and another training for strength. 
The intelligent trainer, knowing that all these are required 
in football, will study his players, treating them as individ- 
uals, rather than as a team, noting the effect of the game 
upon each man, and regulating individual exercise and diet 
in accordance with the clear indication of condition. 

The Balance in the Argument. In considering the 
physical disadvantages possible to the player by reason of 
injury or injudicious training, let it be remembered, in con- 
clusion, that no permanent injury from football has resulted 
to any player in the last ten years at any of the five 
leading colleges of the country. The injuries have been 
mainly of a minor nature, confined to ankles, knees, and 
noses. On the other hand, who shall estimate the advan- 
tages of the physical upbuilding of the thousands of players 
who have gone out from these five colleges in the last decade ? 
As one of the leading surgeons of Boston said upon this 
subject recently, "Football may twist a few joints, but it is 
building up a new race of men." 

Moral Advantages. Intellectual Activity. Great as 
are the physical benefits to the football player, there are 
advantages of a mental or ethical nature which outweigh 
them. 

For football is essentially a game of severe moral and 
mental standards. The superiority of the thoroughbred 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME OX THE PLAYERS 47 

over the ordinary " grade " animal is a mental rather than a 
physical superiority ; and similarly the great lesson which 
the game of football teaches is that brains will triumph over 
mere strength always and everywhere in this world. It is 
the head that wins in football, and not the muscles. jSTo 
dullard can play the game successfully, however great may be 
his physical development. Similarly, no inattentive player 
can ever succeed at football. To excel in the game demands 
of the player watchfulness and mental concentration. 

The football player is taught, first of all, to think rapidly ; 
he must use his mind on the instant 5 he must carry three or 
four thoughts at the same time, — the signals, his part in 
the play, the individual work of the man opposite him, and 
the intention of the opponents. He must train himself to 
meet emergencies, where momentary hesitation will mean 
certain defeat, and he must decide the issues for himself. 
Early in his career there will be developed in him a degree 
of self-reliance which probably no other sport in the world 
would inculcate. Only in a general way is his work laid, 
out for him. There is no one to help him, and he enters the 
game with an urgent and realizing sense of responsibility, 
which is of unquestionable value. He knows that larger 
interests than he can possibly realize now depend on his 
complete performance of his duty. 

Self-Control. With this self-reliance he is unconsciously 
acquiring in the highest degree another and an even more 
valuable quality, — self-control. By severe training he is 
made to realize that there is no place for him in football 
until he has schooled himself in self-restraint. Whatever 
the provocation, whatever the disconcerting incident, he 
must never lose his temper, he must never let his attention 
be drawn from the play. And no game so tries the temper 
as football. No set of players in any American sport re- 
ceives such severe drill in self-control as do football players, 
and the lessons learned on the football field can never be 
wholly forgotten. The single ability to take hard blows and 
not retaliate is a lesson not too dearly bought at the cost of 
a few incidental sprains and bruises. 

Moral and Physical Courage. A third ethical advan- 



18 FOOTBALL 

tage follows closely upon the other two ; with promptness 
of decision, good judgment, and self-restraint, he must now 
add courage. The distinction between physical and moral 
courage is by no means clear. Our civil war taught the 
lesson that the two are, to some extent' identical, for the 
men of best morals were the best fighters. Both physical 
and moral courage are certainly needed in football. The 
player must have courage to start with ; but he will find 
that he has much more of both courage and sj^irit as the 
season advances. The necessity for courage in the football 
player is too patent to need argument, and the opportunity the 
game affords to develop this admirable quality will doubt- 
less be admitted by its severest critics. 

Discipline. After courage comes the lesson of obedience. 
The world has never underestimated the value of a military 
or naval training in teaching implicit, unquestioned obedi- 
ence and a fine sense of readiness to accept discipline. Foot- 
ball demands obedience. An army poorly officered becomes 
a mob ; a football team would be even worse off without 
strict discipline. The biting sarcasm of the coaches must 
be borne without a thought of rebellion; the unmerited 
blame must be accej^ted without even an excuse ; every 
order must be instantly and unquestioningly obeyed. 

Negative Ethical Advantages. With these positive 
advantages to the player, there are other and almost equally 
great negative advantages. As the President of Lafayette 
College has stated, college athletics, and especially foot- 
ball, have done more to purify, dignify, and elevate college 
life than any other single influence in the last quarter of 
a century. No one will question this who is conversant 
with the inside history of the schools, academies, and col- 
leges of this country and England. With this new syste- 
matic outlet for the animal spirits in young men, the old 
forms of disorder have almost disappeared. " Stacking 
rooms," "barring out," hazing, the stealing of signs and 
shutters, and all the old activities of the past, have been 
wholly laid aside. Vices of an even more vicious and dan- 
gerous nature, which exist wherever men are brought 
together in large numbers, have been greatly checked. Let 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE FLAYERS 49 

any man compare the college escapades of his own day with 
those of the present time, and he will confess that the 
cause of good morals has been vastly advanced by systematic 
athletics, and that clean living, regularity of life, and their 
resulting vigorous manhood, have been insisted upon by 
football and other college sports. 

The disorders to which we have referred are not chargea- 
ble to college life. Group young men together, with human 
appetites, large vitality, and the love of freedom, and whether 
in the city or country, in college or out of it, neither paren- 
tal nor collegiate restraint has ever prevented, or ever Avill 
prevent, either folly or vice. A stronger attraction must 
take the place of the attraction to evil, and it is this impor- 
tant argument which is so often wholly overlooked by those 
who decry intercollegiate sports. 

Increased Power of the Will. Other minor advantages 
to the player must be passed over with a few words. The 
game requires and teaches coolness ; it leads to a study of 
the dispositions of men, and just as it subjugates strength 
to thought, so does it also teach the subordination of strength 
to the will. There is an element in human nature which 
finds a powerful attraction in personal contest between man 
and man. We cannot suppress this element, but we may 
wisely direct it. It shows in all the competitions of life, 
and while in some sports it leads to envy or cheating, it has 
quite an opposite effect in football. The man who loses his 
temper will be outplayed ; the man who plays an unfair 
game loses more for his side than he can possibly gain. 

Moral Disadvantages. A careful consideration of the 
evil influences engendered by football will, we believe, reveal 
the fact that every one of the so-called evils of the game is 
not properly a part of the sport, but rather an association 
of it. The playing of important games in great cities has 
led to all forms of disorder; the high price asked and 
readily paid for tickets to such games has brought an income 
from a single game greater than the total annual expendi- 
ture for the support of twenty-five instructors. With this 
exaggerated income there has been an objectionable extrava- 
gance in expenses. These vices are not a part of the game, 



50 FOOTBALL 

but they are connected with it, and are often used as an 
argument against the sport by those who believe that not 
construction but destruction is the lesson of the hour, and 
that the manly features should be abandoned rather than 
that the vices should be reformed. 

On the other hand, there is a])parently no reason why our 
great games should not be converted into functions similar 
to the Eton-Harrow cricket match in England. As one 
writer sa3's, it Avould be as reasonable to abandon our demo- 
cratic form of government because it has joroduced a Tam- 
many Hall, as to abandon football because its directors have 
not been wisely guided in their admittedly difficult task. 

Attention Drawn from Study. One moral disadvan- 
tage which can properly be laid to the door of football is the 
fact that the excitement of the game draws the minds of the 
players from their studies. This is not a fault of the sport 
l^er se, but may, nevertheless, be so identified with it that it 
must be regarded as a drawback to the game. Let it be borne 
in mind, however, that this evil is not confined to football, 
but belongs equally to boat-racing and to baseball. It only 
becomes more obvious in football, in proportion as this sport 
is more popular than the others. The issue is really one 
which affects all competitive athletic exercises in colleges or 
academies. 

The question is a deep one, for it involves a discussion of 
the objects for Avhich a young man goes to college. He can 
never become a great scholar by four years of undergraduate 
life, but he may imbibe a spirit and learn methods which 
may fit him for the field he is to occupy. The college will 
have done its full duty to the young man if it puts him in a 
position from which he may become a learned man, a good 
business man, a sound scientist, an accomplished jurist, an 
able statesman, or an important factor in any walk of life. 
As one of the leading college ^^residents has pointed out: 
" The functions of the undergraduate college must not be 
confounded with the post-graduate and university training. 
The undergraduate is really a boy, — a large boy, to be sure, 
but still a boy, — and he needs physical as well as mental 
training. There is a danger in omitting from his curriculum 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME ON THE PLAYERS 51 

of study that most important item of open-air amusement. 
With this left out^ there will come the inevitable dangers 
which rise from the repression of a natural physical excite- 
ment. When the growth of the body has come to a stand- 
still, and not until that time, can the great need of outdoor 
exercise safely remain unsatisfied." (See Note B at end of 
chapter.) 

The Evils of Notoriety. One other evil influence stands 
in much the same class as the one of which we have just 
spoken ; for, while it is not inseparably associated with foot- 
ball, it is so much a part of it in all leading colleges, that it 
must be considered here as a distinct drawback to the moral 
benefits derived from the sport. We mean the notoriety 
which attaches to the player by reason of the extensive pub- 
licity given to college games in the daily newspapers. 

We must admit that this is not only a disadvantage to the 
young man, but that it is one which has so far resisted all 
attempts at correction. Undoubtedly some method may be 
devised for reforming the evils of notoriety, which are 
capable of working so much harm to any one, be he young 
or old, unless he is endowed with a strong head and an 
abundance of practical common-sense. We will not enter 
upon the discussion of the injury which the newspapers are 
inflicting to-day by their gross exaggerations of the impor- 
tance of individual and topical affairs ; it is enough to say 
that the cessation of newspaper notoriety, which the fickle- 
ness of journalism always renders inevitable, is a sore test 
to the unlucky beneficiary, who finds it diflicult to preserve 
his balance in the midst of such bestowal and withdrawal of 
public attention. 

But harmful notoriety is not confined to football; it is 
assiduously cultivated by that unfortunately large class of 
persons who are never more pleased than when they are 
mentioned in the society columns of the daily papers. Let 
us candidly admit the evil ; but, while admitting it, let us 
confess that it is in no way associated with the game : it is 
rather a penalty paid for success in any public walk in life. 

The Charge of Brutality. Perhaps the most serioas 
charge brought against the sport of football is that it is 
brutal, and engenders brutality in its participants. 



52 FOOTBALL 

There is but one way to put this charge to the test, and 
that is to examine the character of our football players as 
shown by their conduct in private life, when not on the foot- 
ball field. The difficulty of judging their character by their 
football play lies in the fact that roughness is not brutality, 
although many critics refuse to recognize a distinction be- 
tween them. That football is a rough game no one will 
deny. That it is a brutal pastime, or that it creates or fos- 
ters brutality, no one will affirm who will take the trouble to 
test the question by such a personal analysis as we have 
suggested. As a class, football players are the most gentle 
and warm-hearted men in college. Individual exceptions 
may readily be noted, but the average can easily be found 
by diligent inquiry among the friends, teachers, and associ- 
ates of any dozen players. 

Surely this is the true way by which alone we can measure 
the effect of the game upon the .player. The test of an 
institution is the men that it produces, and football will 
splendidly abide this test. 



NOTE A. 

A great argument for football is the all-round physical effect on the player. 
It brings into active exercise not merely the muscles of the trunk, but of both 
extremities. Baseball and tennis are preeminently sports of agility, but foot- 
ball develops both agility and strength. As one well-known writer has pointed 
out, it is the old Greek Pentathlon revived and combined into one sport, — the 
running, the jumping, the wrestling, the boxing, and the throwing, all united 
in a single game. It is true that the tendency of the game is toward rough- 
ness, but this tendency may be quickly checked with competent officials. 

NOTE B. 

In regard to the time consumed by athletic exercises, it is a matter of record 
that this loss of time is in no way detrimental to the athlete's standing. On an 
earlier occasion, when the subject was under discussion, the faculties of Yale 
and Harvard consulted their books and found that, taken as a class, athletes 
stood a trifle higher in their studies than non-athletes. These results have 
since been substantiated by researches at other institutions. 

It may be argued by those who favor the combination of dyspepsia with the 
midnight oil, that these men without their athletics would stand still higher. 
But let us not forget that the work of the modern university is not merely to 
make scholars of her young men, but to prepare them in all respects to combat 
the vice and ignorance and disease in this world. A few points more or less in 
scholarship-marks is not too great a sacrifice to make for self-restraint, presence 
of mind, courage, and obedience, taught on the football field. 



EFFECTS OF THE GAME OX THE PLAYERS 53 



NOTE C. 

The danger to life and limb is, fortunately, a matter of record. In a recent 
number of the '• Century Magazine," Mr. W. C. Church, drawing his facts from 
" reports in my possession from sixty-seven institutions of learning, scattered 
over thirty-seven States," says that there are abundant reports of minor mis- 
haps among the thousands of football players from whom he has heard, but few 
permanent injuries are reported. He says that a California student had his 
neck broken, but he adds that he has heard of similar accidents in the families 
of his friends, which resulted from gj-mnastic practice. Mr. Church adds, " It 
is doubtful whether the percentage of accidents among undergraduates would 
lessen were football forbidden. Nature will exact her tribute in physical 
injuries for her bestowal of surplus energy upon the young." 

To Mr. Church's facts Ave may add one more : A member of the Harvard 
faculty recently compiled statistics showing that injuries from football are 
fewer proportionately than those from the seemingly innocent sport of tobog- 
ganing. He might have added, with equal truth, that they are. fewer, propor- 
tionally, than the accidents to skaters, to mountain-climbers, or to horseback- 
riders. It is not far from the fact to say that as many and as serious accidents 
have occurred to students from slippery sidewalks between lecture-halls and 
dormitories as from f ootbaU. 

XOTE D. 

It is not necessary to claim for football that it is the best form of bodily 
exercise. It is certainly superior to the athletics of the gymnasitmi, but per- 
haps of less value in some respects than field-sports. Horsemanship, shooting, 
and fishing bring man into a closer relation to Nature than does football ; in so 
far as they do this, they broaden and deepen his nature while developing his 
body and keeping him in the open air. But field-sports are largely out of the 
question with the young men in our schools and colleges, who have neither the 
time, the money, nor the location in which to indulge them. Football belongs 
with baseball, lacrosse, cricket, and boating. The weak point in tennis and 
track athletics is the comparatively private character of the sport, which fails 
to draw out the esprit de corps which team sports develop. 



CHAPTER yi 

EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL WORDS AND PHRASES, SLANG 
TERMS, AND COINED EXPRESSIONS OP COLLEGE FOOTBALL 

Back. A term used for either full-back or half-back, 
usually the former. 

Backs. All the men behind the rush-line. More gener- 
ally applied to the two half-backs and the full-back ; that is, 
the three men farthest back from the rush-line. 

Blocking. Interposing the body in front of a man to pre- 
vent his getting through the line. 

Blocking-Off. Interposing the body between the runner 
and the would-be tacklers. 

Block Hard, Block Long, Block Close, Block Low, 
Block High. Terms applied to the blocking : hard means 
with a forward push ; long means to prevent the opponent 
for a considerable time from getting free ; low means when 
the blocker crouches down ; high means when he stands up ; 
close means when the line blocks the inside men, that is, 
leaving any unblocked man or men at the ends of the line 
rather than at any other place. 

Butting. Striking a man with the shoulder or head. 

Canvas. A term applied to the jackets of the players. 

Centre. A term applied to the snap-back, or the middle 
man of the rush-line, and also the middle spot of the field 
from whence a kick-off is made. 

Centre Trio. Applied to the snap-back and his two 
guards. 

Charging. Eushing forward to seize the ball or tackle a 
player. 

Cleats. The small pieces of leather on the bottoms of the 
players' shoes. 

Cocking the Ball up. Tilting it up, so that the point is 
higher from the ground. 



WOKDS AND PHRASES 00 

Cork-Screw. A kick of a similar kind as a twister ; also 
applied to a revolving wedge. 

Cross-Bar. A stick that goes across the two uprights 
in the goal. 

Dash. A term used to indicate spirited play; also the 
sudden run of a player breaking away from the rest. 

Dead. A term used to signify " out of play." The ball 
is dead whenever the umpire or referee blows his whistle ; 
when a goal has been obtained ; when a touch-down, safety, 
or touch-back has been made ; when a fair catch has been 
heeled, or the ball has been downed, having gone out of 
bounds. 

Down. When the runner with the ball is tackled and 
held. 

Dr op-Kick. A kick made by letting the ball fall from 
the hands, and kicking it the very instant it rises from the 
ground. 

Egg. A term applied to the leather ball. 

End Rusher. The last man on either end of the forward 
line. 

Fair. (Used as a noun.) Putting the ball in play when 
it has gone out of bounds. 

Pair Catch. A catch made direct from a kick by an 
opponent, or from a punt-out by one of the same side, pro- 
vided the man making the catch makes a mark with his heel, 
when the ball is caught, to signify instantly that he does not 
intend to run with it. 

Pake. A pretense ; a bluff ; an endeavor to make the 
opponents believe that a different play is to be made than 
the one actually used. Thus, a fake kick is always a run. 

Falling on the Ball. The action of dropping quickly to 
the ground, and covering the ball with the body, in order to 
secure it more certainly than by attempting to pick it up. 

Field-Kick. Technically, a goal kicked either from a 
place-kick, a drop-kick, or from a bounding kick, — in fact 
from any kind of a kick except a punt. 

Field Tactics. An expression intended to cover the gen- 
eral direction or management of the play. 

First Down, Second Down, and Third Down. (See 



o6 FOOTBALL 

Down.) These are terms used to indicate tlie number of 
attempts made to advance the ball. The first down is the 
one following an advance of the necessary distance, which 
must be a total of five yards in three consecutive downs. 
The second down is when one attempt has been made with- 
out succeeding in advancing it five yards. The third down 
is when two attempts have been made without securing a 
total gain of the necessary five yards. On the fourth down, 
Avhich comes at the end of the third attempt, if the necessary 
five yards have not been gained, the ball goes to the other 
side. As soon as five yards have been gained, it is the first 
down again. 

First Half. The first thirty-five minutes of the game. 

Flying Wedge. A wedge that is in motion before the 
ball is put in play. (Now prohibited by the rules.) 

Forwards. The seven men occupying the positions of 
end, tackle guard, and centre. (See Rushey^s.) 

Foul. Any violation of a rule. 

Free Kick. Any kick where the opponents are restrained 
by rule from advancing beyond a certain point. 

FuU-Back. The man nearest the goal, and the man who 
usually performs most of the kicking. 

Fumble. To handle the ball with uncertainty ; to drop 
it when it is in play. 

Generalship. Used in contradistinction to field tactics, 
as meaning a broader consideration of the general methods 
to be adopted. 

Getting Down, or Getting Down the Field. Going 
forward under a kick so as to be at the spot where the ball 
falls. 

Getting Through. Breaking through the opponents' line 
on a scrimmage. 

Ginger. Life and dash. A man has ginger when he 
plays very spiritedly. 

Gridiron. A term applied to the football field on account 
of the white lines across it. 

Ground-Gainer. A term applied to a man who, when 
running with the ball, is usually successful at making his 
required distance. 



WORDS AND PHRASES 57 

Goal. The sticks which are set up in the middle of 
the goal line over which the ball must be kicked. Also 
the act of kicking a goal ; also, the territory behind the goal 
line. 

Goal Line. The line running through the goal posts and 
at right angles to the side lines. 

Goal Tend. Another term for full-back. 

Guard. The player in the line next to the centre. 

Hacking. Kicking a pla3^er in the shins. 

Half -Backs. The two men standing next behind the 
quarter when the team is in possession of the ball and lines 
up to play. Half-backs are usually the men who do the 
greater part of the running. Designated also as right half 
and left half. 

Held. Applied to a player when his progress is stopped, 
and the movement of the ball checked. 

Heeling. The act of marking a fair catch by pointing 
the heel into the ground. 

Heeling Out. A term applied in the Canadian game when 
the ball is put in play by being dra.wn back with the foot. 

Holding. In general, unfair interference in the rush-line. 
Applied usually to detention of an opponent by use of the 
hands or arms. 

In Goal. Over the goal line. 

Interference. Interposing the person between any man 
and the object of his attack. It is usually applied to the 
assistance rendered a runner by his allies. It is fair inter- 
ference when they do not use their hands or arms ; it is un- 
fair (or foul) when they do. 

Intermission. An interval for rest ; a period of ten min- 
utes between the first and second half of a match. 

In Touch. Out of bounds. 

Kick-Off . A place-kick from the centre of the field of 
play; it is used to open each half of the game, and also 
whenever a goal has been obtained. 

Kick-Out. A drop-kick, place-kick, or punt made by the 
player of a side which has touched the ball down in its 
own goal. 

Lacing. A term applied to the leather thong which 



58 FOOTBALL 

fastens up the ball; also, the string which fastens the 
canvas jacket. 

Lacing Out and Lacing In. Terms used by the place 
kicker to indicate to the man holding the ball in what direc- 
tion to turn the centre seam. 

Leather. A slang term for the ball. 

Line Breaking. Advancing into the line with the ball, 
and passing through an opening made usually by the assist- 
ance of the line men. 

Line Bucking. Dashing straight into the line with the 
ball. 

Line Men. Forwards or rushers. 

Linesman. The man who marks the distance gained and 
lost. 

Line-Up. The taking of positions by the team after each 
scrimmage. 

Making the Play Safe. To closely follow the passing 
of the ball, so that if it be dropped the enemy may not 
secure it. 

Muff. Missing a catch. 

Nose Guard. A rubber protection for the nose. 

Number Signals. Numbers used to indicate plays so 
that the opponents shall not recognize them. 

Off-Side. In front of the ball ; that is, between the 
ball and the opponents' goal. (The opposite of " on-side.") 

On-Side. Generally speaking, behind the ball ; that is, 
between the ball and one's own goal line. 

Pacing the Distance. Pacing by the referee of the 
required number of yards when the ball is being brought in 
from touch. 

Pass. Throwing or handing the ball from one player to 
another. More specifically, the movement of the ball from 
the quarter to the runner. The movement of the ball from 
the centre to the quarter is called the snap. 

Penalty. Any forfeit inflicted by the umpire or referee. 

Phase. (Slang.) Has a similar meaning to that of 
rattle, which see. 

Piling Up. Falling upon the runner in a heap after the 
referee's whistle has blown. 



WORDS AND PHRASES 59 

Place-Kick. A kick made by kicking the ball after it 
has been placed upon the ground. 

Play. A call of the referee to continue the game ; also 
any single operation for the advance of the ball ; also the 
manner in which an individual performs his part. 

Point Out, Point In. Terms used by the kicker to in- 
dicate whether the holder is to swing the point of the ball 
out from him or toward him. 

Points. The value of certain acts as expressed in the 
score. 

Punt. A kick made by letting the ball fall from the 
hands and kicking it before it touches the ground. 

Punt-On. A punt made in a similar fashion to a punt- 
out, only from within the field' of play. (No longer used in 
the American game.) 

Punt-Out. A kick made from behind the opponents' 
goal line to another player of the same side who stands out 
in the field to catch the ball. 

Push Plays. Plays which depend for their success upon 
a body of men grouped behind the runner to force him 
through the lin6 by sheer strength. 

Quarter-Back or Quarter, The man behind the centre, 
who takes the ball when it is snapped back, and passes it to 
the runner. 

Rattle. Slang expression, meaning to disconcert. 

Referee. The judge of the position and progress of the 
ball. 

Revolving Wedge. A form of attack in which the 
players group in the shape of a wedge, and after the first 
forward impact turn their course partially or wholly, so 
that the entire wedge rolls, as it were, around the obstacle. 

Run. An advance made by the player carrying the ball. 

Rushers or Forwards. The seven men who form the 
first or forward line when a team lines up. The rushers 
are two ends, two tackles, two guards, and the centre or 
snap-back. Their positions are not now so accurately de- 
fined as formerly. 

Rush-Line Half. A back who, on the defense, plays up 
behind the line. 



GO FOOTBALL 

Safety. A point of scoring made against a team when 
one of its players, guarding liis goal, receives the ball in 
some way from one of his own side, and touches it down 
behind his goal line ; or when he himself takes the ball back 
and touches it down ; or when the ball, kicked by one of his 
own side, bounds back across his own goal line and he then 
touches it down. The term " safety " is applied because this 
gives him the privilege of taking the ball out for a kick, and 
thus relieving the pressure against his goal. A safety 
scores two points for the other side. 

Sailer. A kick where the ball takes advantage of the 
wind, and stays up a long time. 

Score. Used either as a verb or a noun. To score is to 
make points against the opponent ; the score is the number 
of points made. 

Scrapping. Kough tussling in the line. 

Scrimmage. A scrimmage takes place when the holder 
of the ball places it upon the ground and puts it in play by 
kicking it forward or snapping it back. 

Second Half. The second thirty-five minutes of the 
game. 

Series. Any number of different plays which are exe- 
cuted from the same formation or line-up. Also, any num- 
ber of plays following one another in a predetermined order, 
without separate signals. 

Shin Guard. A protection for the front of the leg. 

Side Lines. The boundary lines running along the side 
of the field. 

Signals. The method used by the quarter to indicate to 
the team what the play is to be. 

Sign Signals. Those given by means of some motion of 
the hand, foot, head, or body. 

Slugging. Striking with the closed fist. 

Small "Wedge. A group of two or three men, usually 
hastily formed for an attack. 

Snap-Back, The act of sending the ball back to the 
quarter-back, usually performed by the centre man in the 
rush-line. The term is also used to indicate the player who 
does the snapping back. 



WORDS AND PHRASES 61 

Soldier. To shirk or play listlessly. 

Spiral. A kick similar to the twister, in whicli the ball 
maintains a true course, while revolving on its long axis. 

Split Wedge. A wedge which, after being started, di- 
vides into parts. 

Spread Out. To stretch out the rush-line, separating the 
men one from another. 

Tackle. Used both as a verb and a noun. To tackle is 
to seize the runner. A tackle is the act of seizing the run- 
ner, and is also applied to the man who plays between the 
end rush and the guard in the forward line. 

Tandem. A method of grouping the players whereby a 
runner is preceded or followed by an interferer in direct 
line of his body ; also used to designate a play in which the 
attack is by a grouping of this sort. 

Team Play. A systematic cooperation of effort by each 
man on a team towards a common end. 

Ten- Yard Line. A line drawn ten yards from the centre 
of the field parallel to the goal lines, in front of which the 
opponents cannot advance until the ball is kicked off. (Also 
used to designate a ten-yard distance from either goal.) 

Throttling. Tackling which prevents an opponent from 
breathing ; sometimes wrongly applied to any tackle around 
the neck. 

Time. A call of the referee that stops the game. 

Time Out. Time taken out by the referee when play is 
not actually in progress. 

Touch-Back. The act of touching the ball to the ground 
behind one's own goal line, the impetus which sent the ball 
across having been received from an opponent. 

Touch-Down. Touching the ball to the ground behind 
the opponents' goal line. A touch-down scores four points. 

Touch-in-Goal. Out of bounds and past the goal line. 

Tossing. The chance turning of a coin, by which the 
captains determine the choice of goal. 

Tripping. Tackling below the knees, or in any way hold- 
ing or stopping the runner by the feet or lower part of the 
leg when he is running. 

Try-at-Goal. An attempt to kick the ball over the cross- 



62 FOOTBALL 

bar of tlie opponents' goal. A touch-down entitles a side to 
a try-at-goal. 

Twenty-five-Yard Line. A line drawn twenty-five yards 
from eacli goal, and parallel to the goal line. It is the limit 
of kick-off. 

Twister. A kick which either temporarily or perma- 
nently rocks or sways the ball rapidly on its short axis as 
it moves ahead: 

Umpire. The official who judges the conduct of the 
players. 

Using the Arm. Similar to the use of the hands, only 
that the arm is used instead. 

Using the Hands. Applied to both a fair use of the 
hands and an unfair use. A fair use is where the runner, 
having the ball, pushes out with his hand and thus wards off" 
the men attempting to tackle him. Another fair use of the 
hands is in the case of the Avould-be tacklers pushing the 
interference aside in order to reach the runner. 

Walking In. Bringing the ball in from the side line 
when it has gone out of bounds. 

Warding Off. The same as using the hands or arm by 
the runner. 

Wedge. A group of men formed about the runner to 
assist him in his advance. 

Wedge on a Down. A wedge that is formed when the 
ball is in a scrimmage. 

Word Signals. Various forms of expression (either sen- 
tences or single words), used by any player to convey infor- 
mation to his allies without its being intelligible to the 
opponents. 



CHAPTER VII 

TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 

Difficulty of Assimilating English Rugby in America. 
When the game of football was taken up by the College 
Associations, and an attempt was made, by the aid of rules, 
to develop the former " rush " into a rational and well-regu- 
lated game, recourse was had to the English Hugby Rules. 
The American players found in this code many uncertain 
and knotty points which caused much trouble in their game, 
especially as they had no traditions, or older and more expe- 
rienced players, to whom they could turn for the necessary 
explanations. The Harvard men, who had learned the game 
chiefly from the Canadians, were able to obtain information 
to some extent from this source, but even then satisfactory 
explanations were not always forthcoming. After struggling 
a year or two with these difficulties, the college players 
naturally began to think for themselves, and to plan how 
suitable rules could be made for their own game. In this 
way was brought about the commencement of a series of 
changes in the rules which has lasted to the present day, 
and even now for some time in the future bids fair to be a 
matter of discussion involving long sessions of committees, 
before all points can be satisfactorily settled. 

Special Instances. The first rules to be changed in the 
Rugby Union Code were numbers 8 and 9, which were so 
ambiguous as to cause endless trouble in their correct inter- 
pretation. Rule 9 was as follows : — 

" A touch-clown is when a player, putting his hand on the ball in touch or in 
goal, stops it so that it remains dead, or fairly so." 

Rule 8 defined the ball as being dead " when it rests abso- 
lutely motionless upon the ground." The idea of awarding 
a touch-down when the ball is " dead or fairly so " carried 



1 



64 FOOTBALL 

too great uncertainty for American minds. Every one who 
has played the game at all knows how easy and endless a 
j)roceeding it is for half a dozen men to follow a bounding 
ball across the goal line, and there tumble about and wrestle 
with each other in the endeavor to make it ^^ dead or fairly 
so." When was the referee to discriminate and say that 
the touch-down had been made ? The result was that the 
clause " or fairly so " was stricken out of the rules at the 
close of the first season. 

The Scrimmage and its Development. The next 
change was in regard to the scrummage, or scrimmage, as 
American phraseology has it. This feature of the English 
game has already been described at considerable length in a 
preceding chapter. The Americans at first adopted this same 
method of putting the ball in play, but in a very short time 
the advantages of heeling out the ball from the scrum- 
mage, a custom not then tolerated in England or Canada, 
were keenly appreciated, and no prejudice was felt against 
the practice. The clever scrummagers, therefore, taught 
themselves to perform this feat quickly and accurately, with 
the result that the half-backs knew where and when to ex- 
pect the ball, and so could be more efficient in passing it to 
the runner. 

Heeling Out. From this point it was but a short step to 
assign a particular player to this duty of heeling out or 
snapping back the ball from the scrimmage to one of the 
halves. It was then no longer necessary for the other for- 
wards to bunch close together about the ball and try to ad- 
vance it along the ground, but it was found much more 
advantageous for them to line up across the field, taking 
care to be on-side when the ball was snapped, and each one 
on the lookout for a chance to break through at the proper 
moment and down the runner with as slight a gain as 
possible. 

The Quarter-Back. The next point was the develop- 
ment of the quarter-back, who replaced the half-backs and 
held a position directly behind the snap-back or centre- 
rush, and received the ball directly from the latter's foot. 
This second man was at first allowed to run forward with 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 65 

the ballj but later this was forbidden, the quarter-back 
always passing the ball to some one else for a run or kick. 
This development of the scrummage into a more open style 
of play is the chief point of difference between the English 
and American games. The two divergent methods of put- 
ting the ball in play produce sports of an entirely distinct 
character, and it is at this point that the Americans broke 
entirely away from their predecessors and formed a new 
game of their own. 

Solution of Further Difficulties. Attendant upon this 
very important change in the form of the game came the 
necessity of altering regulations which bore directly upon 
the scrummage in the English code of rules. This was 
especially, the case in Eule 14, which forbade any player 
touching the ball with the hands when it was in a scrum- 
mage. It was impossible to determine when the scrummage 
began and when it ended, or how many men were engaged 
in it. The solution of this difficulty was reached by enact- 
ing that only the snap-back and the opponent directly op- 
posite to him were participants in the scrummage, and that 
these two could not take up the ball from the ground until 
it had touched a third man. 

Eules 12 and 13 in the Rugby code provided that no 
player should take up the ball when it was dead, but only 
when rolling or bounding. Players tried to dodge this rule 
by kicking the ball slightly as it lay motionless upon the 
ground, and then picking it up in the hands. In actual 
practice this was found to be of no great value, because of 
the small variety of cases when it would be applicable. 
The players were too quick in seizing the ball when free 
and rolling about, and would be upon it before it had time 
to come to a standstill. It thus never became dead except 
in the hands of a player or in touch. These regulations, 
therefore, were soon discarded. 

Maul in Goal. The "maul in goal" was a feature in 
the original Eugby game which was a source of unending 
trouble to the Americans. Rules 19 and 20 provided that 
when a runner was tackled behind the goal line the ball 
should remain in possession of the side having it when it 



66 FOOTBALL 

crossed the line, unless the players of the other side gained 
entire possession of it by force. In this way every one 
was instigated to join in the " maul " and form a lawless, 
struggling mass, which might grow rough at times, and in 
any case had no limit either in time or character. The 
referee could with difficulty tell where the ball was or 
when a touch-down was made, so that, after combating this 
feature for several seasons, and trying vainly to obtain a 
correct and satisfactory^ interpretation of the rules, all foot- 
ball players alike agreed that every rule containing the 
words " maul in goal " should be dropped. It was enacted 
instead that as soon as the runner was held after crossing 
the goal line, the ball should be put upon the ground and 
a touch-down counted at that point. 

Block Games. Rules regarding " touch-in-goal " and 
scoring of " safety touch-downs " became necessary at the 
time of the " block game," which for a time threatened to 
actually kill American football. This style of game was 
adopted by a losing team, or by one which had made a few 
points and then desired only to prevent the opponents from 
scoring, not being desirous of adding to its own score. The 
idea was to keep possession of the ball, and by a number 
of short rushes backwards or forwards to use up the time 
till the half was over. Thus nothing was gained for either 
side and the game proved uninteresting and aimless to an 
extreme degree. If a team, using these tactics, should be 
forced behind its own goal line, the ball was taken out to 
the twenty-five-yard line and the same style of play re- 
sumed. This game could thus be prolonged indefinitely, 
and was used quite extensively during two or three seasons, 
after which two steps were taken to check it. 

The Five- Yard Rule. The first of these was to make a 
safety count two points against the side making it, and the 
second was to adopt the so-called "five-yard rule." The 
latter provided that a team holding the ball must, in three 
successive fairs or downs, advance it five yards or retreat 
with it twenty, and, failing to do this, must deliver it over 
to the other side. By this rule was remedied the greatest 
fault that has ever been found in the American game, and 
its safety for the immediate future was assured. 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 67 

English Off and On Side. The English rules regard- 
ing " off-side " and " on-side " seemed rather obscure to the 
Americans, and also appeared to contain a discrepancy. 
According to Eule 24 (as has been explained in the first 
chapter), a man off-side was put on-side as soon as the ball 
touched the dress or person of an opponent, while Kule 25 
stated that the opponent may run five yards before those 
off-side are free to commence or attempt to run or tackle. 
The one restriction seemed to make the other unnecessary. 
Ultimately the latter was cut out of the American rules, 
and a man off-side was declared on-side again as soon as an 
opponent had touched the ball. 

Punting Out and Punting On. The English method 
of punting the ball "out" or "on," in order that a team 
scoring a try in the corner of the field might have a better 
opportunity for kicking a goal, was used to advantage for 
several years. When touch-downs were made to count in 
the score, however, a serious trouble arose. After some 
practice it was possible for a player on the team so scoring 
a try to punt the ball with his shin, or even his knee, into 
the arms of another man on his own side, who stood only a 
yard or two from the goal line, and immediately after mak- 
ing his catch rushed across the goal line, thus scoring 
another touch-down. This proceeding was made easier by 
placing two of the heaviest men on a team in front of the 
catcher, so as to aid him in advancing the necessary short 
distance against the opponents' opposition. Upon one oc- 
casion a team at St. George's Ground, Hoboken, made in 
this way eleven successive touch-downs from an original 
one at the corner of the field, gradually working the ball 
nearer to the goal posts with every effort. Finally they 
grew tired of this method of play, and took the ball out in 
front of the posts, whence they kicked an easy goal. Legis- 
lation against such tactics has been adopted, and an effec- 
tual stop put to their use. As a matter of fact the practice 
of " punting on " is no longer of any value at the present 
day. 

In Touch. The rules regarding playing the ball in from 
touch have been slightly altered in the American rules 



68 FOOTBALL 

from those in the original Hugby code, and the style of mak- 
ing the play has undergone a marked change. The most 
common method in the old days of the game was to throw the 
ball in at right angles to the touch line, but now teams 
usually let tlie centre-rush walk in with it and put it down 
for a scrimmage, the distance varying between five and fif- 
teen yards. 

Tie Games and Time of Game. A long struggle has 
been carried on all through the history of American football 
in regard to provisions against tie games. For a time the 
several captains tried to make a satisfactory agreement 
before each match, the one of the stronger team being natu- 
rally the most urgent. The legislation on this point has been 
in two principal directions : (1) the time of game, and (2) 
the methods of scoring. 

At the outset, matches lasted generally an hour and a half, 
this time being divided into three intervals. This arrange- 
ment gave one team the advantage of the wind or any pecul- 
iarity of the field during two thirds of the whole game, and 
hence was declared unfair. Next, the time was divided into 
two halves of forty-five minutes each, and two halves of fif- 
teen minutes each were added in case of a tie. These extra 
halves were finally found unnecessary, as the very exact 
method of scoring in vogue during the last few years has 
greatly lessened the probability of tie games. At a much 
more recent period the time of game was still further 
reduced to two thirty-five minute halves, which regulation 
remains to the present day. 

Scoring. The mode of scoring has been even more per- 
plexing, and has undergone severe changes. Primarily, as in 
England, only goals were scored, but later, in case of a tie by 
goals, " tries " or touch-downs were made to count. Next, 
the wording of the rule was changed to read: "A match 
shall be decided by a majority of goals only," and only a 
year later the decision was made by touch-downs, a goal 
counting as four touch-downs. Furthermore, in case of a tie, 
a goal kicked from a touch-down was given precedence over 
a field-kick goal. The scoring of safeties became necessary 
in order to partially check the block game, and caused a 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 69 

struggle in which the weaker teams strongly opposed the 
idea of attaching any importance to the scoring of safeties. 
It was finally agreed that in games where no other score was 
made, — neither by touch-downs or goals, — a team making 
four or more safeties less than the opponents should win the 
game. At the same time the safety was defined as being 
made only when the ball was actually carried or passed by a 
team across its own goal line, and not kicked over by oppo- 
nents. Later on, exact values were given to the various 
forms of score, and the matches came to be decided by points. 
Slightly more value was given to touch-downs than pre- 
viously. The count for such scores was then arranged, and 
is now as follows : touch-down from which no goal is kicked, 
4 points; touch-down and goal, 6 points; goal by proper 
kick from field of play without a touch-down, 5 points ; 
safety scored by opponents, 2 points. 

Other Discarded and Altered Rules. Various other 
rules of the Rugby Union Code have been found superfluous, 
the necessary points being otherwise covered, or considered 
unnecessary for the better development of the game. Rule 
35, saying that a catch made when the ball is thrown out 
from touch is not a fair catch ; and Rule 45, allowing a 
player to touch the ball down in his own goal, shared this 
fate ; and Rule 48, forbidding the bringing out of the ball 
between the posts after a touch-down, was also discarded, as 
it really was of no particular significance. Rule 51 debarred 
players from making a fair catch in touch; and Rule 52 
prevented opponents from interfering with the ball after 
a touch-down. These were both found unnecessary, and 
dropped. 

Rule 54, relating to "charging," was somewhat compli- 
cated, but worked well enough, except that the question often 
arose whether the ball was put in play after a fair catch by 
the charging of opponents or not. The kicker could step 
forward, thus provoking the charge, but if he then drew 
back, were the opponents obliged to retire behind their 
line ? If this were not so, and the ball was put in play by 
the charge, then the kicker was free to run forward or to pass 
the ball to another man of his own side for a run, and thus 



70 FOOTBALL 

gain quite an advantage. It was finally decided that the 
charge did not put the ball in play. 

Eegarding rough play, Eule 57 in the original Rugby code 
read, ''No hacking, or hacking over, or tripping up shall 
be allowed under any circumstances." This rule has been 
changed slightly and made more explicit. " Tripping up " 
was made to include tackling below the knees as well as 
throwing a runner by the foot, and is forbidden by a rule 
against foul tackling. '' Butting" was also thought to be 
productive of injuries, and hence has been prohibited. The 
present reading of the rule forbids '^ all unnecessary rough- 
ness and striking," and seems to cover the ground very 
satisfactorily. 

Uniforms. Rule 58 of the Rugby code forbids the wear- 
ing of projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha on any 
part of the boots or shoes. These restrictions still exist in 
the American rules, with the additional provision that " no 
sticky or greasy substance shall be used on the person of 
players." This last clause was rendered necessary by a 
peculiar episode which took place in New Haven immediately 
after the canvas jacket had first made its appearance. A 
team, dressed in this new garb, came to play against the Yale 
men. In addition, its players had smeared lard all over their 
clothes, and in the game they greatly astonished the conser- 
vative New Haven men by the way in which their runners 
slipped through the latter's fingers. It was only by filling 
their hands with sand that the Yale men were able to retard 
their opponents' rushes. The players during these years also 
became accustomed to apply turpentine to their hands in 
order to counteract the effect of the lard on the dress of their 
opponents. As a result the ball soon became very sticky 
and difficult to pass accuratel}^, and the best interests of the 
game demanded that the present rule be adopted, although 
this use of lard would never be so effective at the present 
time, since the science of low, hard tackling has been reduced 
to such a fine point. Tackling, which was in the early days 
not allowed below the hips, is now permitted down to the 
knees. 

OflB.cials. The question of referees or judges has given 



TWENTY YEAES OF FOOTBALL 71 

rise to considerable discussion, and alterations from the 
English rules have been many. The Eugby rule said that 
unless officials were appointed by the two captains, these two 
men should decide all disputes, and that questions regarding 
the correct interpretation of rules could be appealed to the 
Rugby Union Committee. The evidence of judges was found 
to be necessary, and for a time two men were employed in 
this capacity. Then a referee was added to decide in case 
the judges disagreed on any point. Three men made too large 
a number, and the two judges were all the time tempted to 
badger the referee, each one arguing his own case. The 
judges were therefore abolished, and all games were for a 
time regulated by one referee. This arrangement gave 
place only a few years ago to the adoption of two officials, a 
referee and an umpire, the former to pass judgment concern- 
ing the ball, the latter concerning the men. It was at first 
feared that it would be difficult to make a satisfactory dis- 
tinction between the two fields of their respective jurisdic- 
tion, but in practice this arrangement has been found to work 
very well indeed. In recent years two more officials have 
been added. They are called linesmen, and have the duty 
of watching the downs. They stand on the side of the field 
holding canes fastened by a cord at a distance of five yards 
apart, and at each " first down " they mark in this way both 
the spot of this down and the point to be gained in three 
rushes. These men have proved of invaluable service to the 
referee in determining " first downs." 

American Rule-making. It can easily be seen from the 
foregoing review of the most important changes made in 
the football rules since the introduction of the game into 
America, that much time and thought has been spent by all 
those interested in the sport in an endeavor to further its 
interests as much as possible. These energies have been 
directed chiefly towards perfecting the rules of the game, in 
order to prevent brutality and slugging, to make science and 
skill count for more in winning a match than brute force 
and weight, and to make the game fast and interesting to 
both player and spectator. 

Rule-making in the early days of the sport lay chiefly in 



72 FOOTBALL 

the liands of the various captains, who met together before 
a match, and decided in what manner certain points of dis- 
cussion should be settled. Later on it was deemed wise to 
call a meeting of delegates from the various institutions 
which were supporting teams in the field, and allow them to 
draw up a code of rules for the ensuing season. The result 
of this plan was that each university was tempted to send 
a man to the convention with instructions to put through 
certain rules, which would be most beneficial for their own 
team in that particular season. Thus temporary circum- 
stances were at times given more consideration than the best 
interests of the sport, and the tendency in this direction was 
very strong, however earnest and well-intentioned the indi- 
vidual delegates might be. It was not long before this dan- 
ger was appreciated, and fear began to be felt that the rules 
were becoming worse rather than better. The matter was a 
subject of serious discussion for some time among graduates, 
captains, and certain members of the college faculties. 

Advisory Committee. At last definite action was taken 
by these persons, and through the adoption of a new consti- 
tution by the football association it was provided that all 
changes in the rules should be made by a permanent Advisory 
Committee of graduates. This committee held meetings, 
adopted each year whatever changes seemed expedient, and 
submitted them for ratification to the Intercollegiate Asso- 
ciation, which has in every case accepted the proposals thus 
made. In case the Association should not ratif}^, then the 
proposed rules could still be carried by a majority vote of 
the Advisory Committee. This plan of rule-making worked 
perfectly, no cause arising for any friction between the dif- 
ferent parties as long as the Intercollegiate Association ex- 
isted as a strong body. 

University Athletic Club. In the fall of 1894 the 
Intercollegiate Association, after the withdrawal of Wes- 
leyan and the University of Pennsylvania, consisted of only 
two universities, Princeton and Yale. The two representa- 
tives of these institutions felt that the year was a critical 
one for the success of football, and that rules formed by only 
two universities would not carry sufficient weight. Their 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 73 

gravest fears were caused by the greatly exaggerated devel- 
opment of mass plays, which had come into use during the 
last two or three years, and were regarded as an increasing 
evil. The University Athletic Club, of New York, was 
appealed to and was requested to invite a number of repre- 
sentative football men to a convention for the discussion of 
rule-making. Such a meeting was held, and the suggestions 
thus made were later accepted unconditionally, both by the 
University Athletic Club, the Advisory Committee, and the 
Intercollegiate Association. 

The situation at the end of another year was still more 
complex. Two of the larger universities had a quarrel, re- 
sulting in a complete rupture of athletic relations between 
them, and a formation of two distinct sets of rules. The 
other college teams adopted one code or the other with slight 
variations, and before almost every match it was necessary 
for the two elevens to come to an understanding over all 
points of disagreement. The University Athletic Club was 
again requested to call together a convention of experts, but 
declined because one of the two universities mentioned above 
did not join in this appeal. The better sense of all football 
enthusiasts showed itself in the end, and a universal appeal 
was made before another year. The committee consisted of 
six men, each, with one exception, being empowered by his 
university to act as its representative. The sixth gentleman 
was invited as and considered a delegate at large. It was 
voted by this convention that no rule should be adopted 
without the unanimous consent of the members, and a thor- 
ough revision of the code was undertaken. 

Rules — Committee's "Work. The results of the work 
of this convention were published in June, 1896, and contain 
some few changes. The deliberations of the greatest impor- 
tance bore on momentum and mass plays, while slight alter- 
ations were made regarding " fair catch," the duties of the 
umpire and referee, the more effective elimination of bru- 
tality and unnecessary roughness, " charging " and putting 
the ball in play. 

Eegarding the first of these points, it was enacted that 
before the ball is put in play in a scrimmage, no player of 



74 FOOTBALL 

the side having the ball shall take more than one step in the 
direction of the opponents' goal, and that, when the ball is 
put in play, at least five players must be on the line of scrim- 
mage. Also if more than five players, not including the 
quarter-back, be behind the line of scrimmage, two of them 
must stand more than five yards behind said line, or must 
stand outside of the end men on said line. These regula- 
tions prevent the players from massing together behind the 
line, or from gaining any momentum by moving forward 
before the ball is snapped. 

The player making a " fair catch " is protected by a rule 
stating that unless the catcher advances beyond his mark 
no off-side man shall interfere with him under penalty of 
fifteen yards loss. 

The referee has the final decision on all points not covered 
by the umpire, and he may appeal to the umpire and lines- 
men for testimony upon all points within his jurisdiction. 
The referee shall also determine the time for a down by blow- 
ing his whistle, and he can give fifteen yards to the oppo- 
nents of any player who then " piles upon " the runner. 

The snapper-back is given entire possession 'of the ball. 
If opponents interfere with his putting the ball in play, his 
side gains five yards for every such offense. The old rules 
used to allow the opposing centre partial possession of the 
ball, so that he could delay the game unnecessarily by pre- 
venting the ball from being snapped. 

'^ Charging " by opponents is lawful if the punter advances 
beyond his line, or as soon as the ball touches the ground. 
If the opponents charge before the ball is thus put in play, 
they shall be put back five yards for every such offense. 

Division of Labor in the American Game. As the 
American game has been developed by this series of changes 
in the rules, the idea of a division of labor by the assignment 
of particular duties to each individual player has been greatly 
emphasized. In a general way the eleven men of a team may 
be divided into two groups, the seven forwards and the four 
backs. In the early days the work of the former was best 
described as a steady, hard rush from the beginning to the 
end of the game, each one of the seven having the same 



TWENTY YEARS OF FOOTBALL 75 

duties. As the scrimmage developed into the more open 
rush-line, it was found that the men could be advantageously 
assigned to positions according to their weight, quickness, 
cleverness, etc. For instance, three heavy men, the snap- 
per-back, with a " guard " on either side, would be placed 
in the centre, so as to protect the quarter-back till he should 
make his pass, and the play was thus under way. The men 
of moderate weight, quick in their movements and hard 
tacklers, were stationed next in the line, and acquired the 
name of 'Hackles." The two end rushers completed the 
line. These must be sure tacklers, fast runners, and clever 
players, for it is their duty to bring down a runner coming 
around their end, and to get down the field under a kick 
soon enough to stop their opponent the very moment he has 
the ball, or to take advantage of a muff or fumble. These 
line men have innumerable other duties, which gradually 
devolve upon them, and which vary in different teams, as 
every captain is very likely to have his own idea as to how 
his men should play together. 

The four backs are the quarter-back, whose duties have 
already been somewhat explained, two half-backs, and the 
full-back. These positions result from those of the old 
Rugby backs, the number of men in each capacity being 
changed to suit the general development of the game. The 
half-back must be a player of considerable versatility. His 
chief function is to run and kick when on the offensive, and 
to tackle with judgment and certainty when on the defensive. 
These have always been the fundamental requirements of the 
English three-quarter-back, but the manner in which they 
are put into practice has undergone considerable change in 
America. The kicking is now left more to the full-back, 
though it is considered an advantage to have three good 
kicking backs. The running of the half is not as much de- 
pendent upon the player's individual merits, since now he has 
two or three other men to go before him, and block off the 
opposing tacklers, and the clever half is the man who knows 
how to follow his interference well, to make use of it as long 
as it is advantageous, and then to know when to break away 
from it, and make his own way. The duties of the full-back 



7(5 FOOTBALL 

have developed into much the same as those of the half-back. 
He is chosen perhaps more as a good kicker and sure tackier, 
but is still expected to do a good share of the running and 
blocking. He corresponds to the English back, but is brought 
much more actively into the game. The duties of the backs 
vary considerably with the ideas of the various captains. 
Very often, when a team is playing on the defensive, it is 
thought advisable to bring one or both of the halves up into 
the rush-line, so as to overpower the opponents more easily, 
and at other times they play back a few yards to catch the 
runner immediately upon his passing the forwards. 

The vital element in coaching a team lies nowadays in this 
problem of the division of labor. The greater part of the 
practice, during the latter part of the season especially, con- 
sists of constant drilling in the different plays, and of in- 
venting means to stop the opponents' rushes. The captain 
and coaches of each team attend the games played by their 
opponents, and study their plays, in order to discern their 
weakest points, and plan how their own team can best meet 
them. It is so arranged that each man in the line knows 
what his play is, whatever may be the tactics adopted by 
the opponents. In offensive work each team has various 
plays, chosen as those best suited to advance the ball, taking 
advantage of any weakness of their opponents. In each of 
these plays every man in the eleven has a special duty 
assigned to him, and every one is informed beforehand what 
the play is going to be by means of a code of signals, some- 
times very complex, which are usually given by the quarter- 
back. 



CHAPTER VIII 

TWEXTY-FOUR HOURS WITH A 'VARSITY PLAYER 

A Popular Error. There are many mistaken ideas in 
regard to the daily routine of a 'Varsity football player who 
is in training. Even persons ordinarily well informed about 
college sports go far astray upon this subject. 

The popular impression seems to be that the football 
player rises at five in the morning, runs from four to ten 
miles across country, just to stretch his muscles, before 
breakfast; eats at all three meals a prodigious amount of 
nearly raw beef, washed down with a plentiful supply of ale ; 
does little or no studying ; plays football morning and after- 
noon ; and finally presents to the coaches in the evening the 
serious problem of how to give him exercise enough to keep 
him in decent condition. 

With this general conception are united visions of a still 
more lurid nature. Stories are told of players who, after 
eating several huge chunks of raw beef, forget that they 
have taken their meat course, and, under the impression that 
they have not dined, ta'ckle the entire menu, and eat a 
second dinner. Other visions rise of the football player 
injured on the field during the afternoon play, and resting 
while a broken arm or a fractured rib is temporarily ban- 
daged, in order that nothing need interfere with the practice. 

Unfortunately, perhaps, for the football player, many of 
these visions are far from the truth. Too often, instead of 
having a voracious appetite, he has what is popularly known 
as a " skittish " one ; and, so far from furnishing a problem 
to the coaches of how to give him work enough to keep 
him in condition, he is a source of no little anxiety by reason 
of his steady decline in weight. 

What this Chapter will Offer. It is certainly due to 



78 FOOTBALL 

the player that these exaggerated ideas shoukl be corrected 
and the true condition of att'airs stated. Perhaps there is no 
better way of doing this than to give, briefly, the routine of 
a 'Varsity player in a single day of the season. By reason of 
the varying arrangements at the different universities, a 
universal routine does not exist. A certain general outline, 
however, can be given, which at least shall not be exagger- 
ated or fanciful. In its minor details, and in the relative 
order of the events of the day, the picture may need to be 
changed to lit the player at one or another of the leading 
colleges, but, generally speaking, it will be found to be a 
fair description of a single day as it is passed in the height 
of the season by a player on any one of our 'Varsity teams. 
We shall begin at the beginning of the day. 

Rising and Breakfasting. From a sleep which, however 
disturbed it may have been by excitement or anxiety, in the 
earlier hours of the night, is abnormally sound in the early 
hours of the morning, the player is aroused by a sharp 
knock upon his door at seven o'clock. He is given three 
quarters of an hour in which to dress and report himself at 
the training quarters. These quarters are usually centrally 
located, and there the members of the team eat their meals 
together. The ideal training quarters are those at Prince- 
ton, where a perfectly arranged clubhouse is maintained, 
with reading-room, assembly-room, a large dining-room, and 
every comfort. At few of the other universities, however, 
are such arrangements as yet possible ; and all that the 
"training-table" usually means to the player is a large 
dining-room in some boarding-house, where one or two tables 
run diagonally across the room, and twenty-five or thirty 
players crowd and jostle against each other in the endeavor 
to provide seats for all their number at one time. Sometimes 
there is a small assembly-room, in which the men gather 
before going in to the table, and here, if there is a piano, 
there is sure to be music and singing. 

Into this room we go with the player. • One by one the 
men straggle in ; that they have dressed in a hurry is 
amusingly apparent; but they are not troubled with self- 
consciousness, and are quite indifferent to their looks. Far 



TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WITH A 'VARSITY PLAYER 79 

from being the ferocious beings of popular conception, which 
believes that roughness on the field implies roughness off 
of it, they are, ordinarily, a very good-natured, decent set of 
fellows. As they enter they f oUo^^, with singular unanimity, 
a long established custom, and shy their caps into some far- 
away corner, or at some imaginary hat-peg on the wall. It is 
seldom that the cap of a football player is found in the posi- 
tion where it might naturally be expected to be. 

When the men have nearly all reported for breakfast, the 
captain enters, with the air of having a vigorous sense of 
responsibility. There are half a dozen sharp interrogatories 
to different men on different subjects. This man is asked if 
he slept better than the night before ; another is questioned 
as to the condition of his ankle or knee, and he is made to 
show his paces, with a view to determining how soon he can 
be counted upon for the work of the game. Another is told 
that he must secure the services of a masseuse, and be well 
rubbed during the morning. Thus the condition of the 
cripples is hurriedly noted, and dismissed, with a word of 
direction. The men then either go into the breakfast-room, 
or, if it is late in the season, they are apt to be put through 
some signal practice on the lawn behind the house. By 
eight o'clock they are all at table. The menu is much the 
same as it would be at the ordinary American breakfast 
table : there is oatmeal, or some other cereal, followed by 
chops or steak in liberal quantities, with potatoes, and per- 
haps a bit of bacon. Eggs cooked in any style are always 
on call ; there is no tea or coffee, but generally milk, with 
plenty of pure drinking-water or oat-meal water, served 
always without ice. 

The Morning's "Work. Breakfast over, the men sepa- 
rate for classes and lecture-rooms, not to meet again as a 
team until the hour of lunch, which is at one o'clock. 
During the morning there is but little football work pre- 
scribed or undertaken, unless it is within ten days of the 
close of the season, and the important match of the year is 
close at hand. But some of the backs will be out for an 
hour of kicking practice. This morning squad ma}^ include 
the centre and quarter back, with the other backs. The 



80 FOOTBALL 

work will be almost exclusively devoted to passing, kicking, 
and catching. It will be supervised by the coach who has 
this department of the work in charge, and the captain will 
rarely be present, the only spectators being a few specimens 
of the genus "small boy," who will freely criticise and 
encourage the players. Sometimes the morning practice 
may be extended, for the development of some new form of 
interference', or for the correction of some fault which has 
shown itself in the team, and Avhich needs to be remedied 
without delay. But morning practice very rarely amounts 
to anything more than an hour's work for a few individuals. 

Lunch. At one o'clock the men assemble again at the 
training-table, where lunch is served. The meal is not a 
very popular one ; it lacks the enthusiasm of breakfast. 
Taking place,. as it does, before the hard work of the day, 
there is more or less earnestness, and even anxiety, among 
the men, and there is little jollity at the table. They seat 
themselves as they arrive, with no courtesy in waiting for 
late comers, the meal being eaten on the go-as-you-please 
order, with a not too attractive and elaborate menu. Soup, 
possibly ; sometimes fish ; but always a liberal supply of 
meat, with three or four vegetables, and vast quantities of 
dry toast. Tea and coffee are strictly barred, but a substi- 
tute in the shape of claret is allowed to some of the men in 
small quantities. 

The Afternoon Practice. After lunch, at some hour 
between three and half past three, the men must betake 
themselves to the field, and be ready to report to the cap- 
tain, dressed for the practice, at four o'clock sharp. At 
Yale the hours are somewhat different, the afternoon prac- 
tice taking place at an early hour, leaving the balance of the 
afternoon for study ; but in the majority of colleges the 
2:>ractice comes after the other work of the day, and begins 
about four o'clock. 

The operation of dressing is pursued in a manner peculiar 
to the football player. It seems to be a part of his nature to 
scatter his limited clothing about in every direction, so that 
the work of dressing is undertaken in the most disjointed 
and generally irresponsible manner. Part of his clothing 



TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WITH A 'VARSITY PLAYER 81 

has been left in the drying-room ; a stocking is found at a 
remote distance from its mate ; his belt has strayed no one 
knows where ; there is a broken lacing on his canvas, which 
he neglects to replace, preferring to fasten it in a few clumsy 
knots. He does not dress ; he throws his clothes on, and 
loosely fastens them wherever they happen to hang. It 
takes the constant vigilance of manager, captain, and coach 
to see that he does not neglect the precaution of suitable 
padding, and that his shoes are properly cleated, and his 
clothes decently tacked together. 

Promptly at four o'clock comes the call of the captain, 
and the men trot out upon the field. The description of the 
practice belongs to another chapter, and we need not refer 
to it here. Briefly, it consists of individual practice, fol- 
lowed by team practice without an opponent, followed in 
its turn by what is technically known as " stiff " practice, 
or hard practice, against a college eleven, and finally ending 
with the correction of personal faults in a short aftermath 
of individual practice. 

Weighing and Rubbing Down. When it is over, back 
to the quarters, just at dusk, goes the tired player ; tired in 
body, but refreshed in spirit ; the work of the day is done, 
and he has a right to the rest he has earned ; it woujd be 
idle to deny that a part of the work has been severe, and 
some of it drudgery. The dirty clothing is stripped off, and 
the delight of a shower bath is followed by a brisk rubbing 
down by the trainer or attendant, one of whom is regularly 
employed for this work by every college team. 

After the bath, and before the rubbing down, comes the 
important operation of weighing-in. The player steps upon 
the scales, not apparently interested in his weight, but 
rather giving it up in a perfunctory and half satisfied man- 
ner to the manager, who stands on guard at the exit of the 
bath-room to prevent the escape of any player without hav- 
ing his weight duly recorded. Later in the season the 
weights of the players will often not be given to them to 
know, but they are carefully reported to the trainer, and the 
captain will himself give not a few anxious moments to the 
variations of this or that player upon the scales from day 
to day. 



82 FOOTBALL 

After rubbing down comes the leisurely dressing. The 
men talk about the incidents of the day's practice, and give 
a running comment on the work of the afternoon. The 
coaches are moving about among the players with words of 
criticism or approval, which the players take in equally 
good part, showing a marked willingness to learn their faults 
and profit by instruction. 

The Evening Dinner. Dinner is served at the football 
training-table at 6.30 o'clock. It is the most enjoyable 
meal of the day, and altogether the most delightful period 
of the twenty-four hours. At the head of the table sits 
the captain, with the doctor or trainer at the foot. Most 
of the coaches are present at the festive board, and often 
there is, besides, some old graduate whose interest in the 
team has been great enough to induce him to pay a visit to 
the quarters, that he might meet the men personally and 
hear the latest news of their progress. 

Bread Fights and Practical Joking. Spirits usually 
run high at the evening meal. There is a good deal of 
practical joking and story-telling. If the team is not de- 
pressed by some very recent defeat, the chances are 
strongly in favor of a bread fight. It always begins about 
the ^me way. Some unlucky fellow is pitched upon, and 
every effort is put forth to guy him. He is made the victim 
of innumerable jokes ; his playing, or some incident in his 
behavior, or, perhaps, some trifling peculiarity in his dress 
or speech, is seized upon as the pretext for a general dis- 
cussion of his qualities by the entire table. One word of 
remonstrance, or one attempt to answer back, is the signal 
for bread throwing. 

In a moment the air is full of flying missiles, toast, crack- 
ers, potatoes, oranges, — anything, — go flying through the 
air in every direction ! There is only one door of escape, 
and that is to drop under the table. One by one the quieter 
members disappear in this direction, and the final issues of 
the fight, which has now broadened and developed into half 
a dozen side quarrels, are concluded by the few remaining 
participants. It may be that an unlucky dodge upsets a 
pitcher of milk, or a good-natured struggle ends in an up- 



TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WITH A 'VARSITY PLAYER 83 

heaval of one end of the table, while three or four dishes go 
clattering to the floor, and this unexpected denouement is apt 
to conclude the fight. 

Spirits are never depressed, nor tempers ruffled in these 
combats. The only long faces are worn by the waiters, or 
possibly by the proprietor, as the former gaze upon the dirty 
floor, and the latter surveys the ruined wall-paper. When 
comparative order is restored, the players slip back into their 
seats, although the combat is apt to be renewed along side 
lines during all the rest of the meal, and half a dozen feuds 
are settled before the dinner is ended. 

The menu for this meal is of most generous proportions ; 
soup, a choice between two kinds of meat, four or five 
dishes of vegetables, cranberry or apple sauce, dry toast, 
and a light pudding or ice cream, make up a good list of 
eatables ; while ale, claret, milk, and water furnish a fair 
choice of liquid refreshments. 

Evening Work. With dinner the work of the day is 
not always complete. Very often there is signal practice, 
or the members of the first eleven are summoned to meet 
to learn a new play, or perfect the development of some new 
form of interference. Perhaps, in place of either of these, 
there is a brief blackboard talk by one of the coaches, or 
some graduate ofiicial talks to the men on the interpretation 
of certain rules and penalties. 

In no case, however, are these meetings protracted beyond 
the hour of 9.30, for at ten o'clock the player must pack 
himself off to bed. The consoling evening pipe, or longed- 
for cigarette, is of course denied him, but walking along 
in the darkness to his room, he is hailed by half a dozen 
of his college mates, and as he listens to their exultant tone 
of approval of the team, or their congratulations upon his 
splendid personal work in the last game, he tastes the intox- 
cating cup of popular favor, and is repaid liberally for all 
the trouble and exactions of the day. 



PART II 
FOR THE PLAYER 



CHAPTER I 

ORGANIZING A TEAM 

Three Cardinal Points. In the organization of a foot- 
ball team, as in everything else, there is a right way and a 
wrong way to begin, and if a school or a college or a univer- 
sity begins in the wrong way, they will probably experience 
a succession of reverses, and will not have an equal chance 
until, after a term of years, they learn their mistakes by 
experience, and a reformation takes place. On the other 
hand, those who have begun in the right way find things 
easy to their hand. With reasonable effort, success comes 
at least in a fair proportion of years, and many of the evils 
attendant upon an unfortunate policy not only do not trouble 
them, but are absolutely unknown. There are three cardinal 
points to be observed in arranging for college athletics, and 
those are to secure the support of the faculty, to insist upon 
a clean record of candidates in the matter of pure athletics, 
and to obtain the sympathetic backing of the college or 
school. 

Where no Team has Existed. In organizing a football 
team in a school where there has never been a team, the 
first thing to be done is to approach the head master and 
obtain his consent and support. This can usually best be 
done through influential graduates of the school, for their 
opinion in affairs is naturally of far more weight than are 
the desires of the boys themselves, and it is better form 
for the request to come through them as intermediates. The 
plans should be thoroughly set forth, and, if consent be 
obtained, as, barring some unusual reason, it is pretty sure 
to be, a school meeting should be held, and these graduates 
should address the boys there assembled. They should 
explain in detail the value of the sport as a means both of 



88 FOOTBALL 

developing the individual who takes part, and also as a 
factor in stimulating loyalty to the school and binding to- 
gether all the members in a stronger sympathy. Love of 
country in a man is only a growth of the feeling that makes 
him loyal to his college and loyal to his school, and competi- 
tive interscholastic and intercollegiate sport is a very strong 
factor in developing this side of character. 

Committee in Charge. It is well at this first meeting to 
elect a committee consisting, say, of one graduate, one mem- 
ber of the faculty, and one representative of the school, to 
act as an advisory committee. This committee should report 
at a later meeting, formulating a plan of action which may 
properly consist of the election of a manager, and an assist- 
ant manager, from the school. These two, with the aid of 
the advisory committee, should have charge of the laying 
out of the field and the securing of candidates for the eleven. 
After a few days of practice they should appoint a tempo- 
rary field captain, who should have charge of the men, and 
under whose directions the practice should be carried on. 
He will appoint a captain of the second eleven, and for per- 
haps two weeks be in sole control of the field practice. At 
the end of that time the advisory committee, the manager, 
and the field captain should hold a meeting and select some 
twenty players, who should then, subject to the approval of 
the advisory committee, elect a permanent captain. 

Policy for Further Management. After this establish- 
ment of the sport, the manager and assistant manager of 
succeeding years should be annually elected by a mass meet- 
ing of the school, the assistant manager always being sup- 
posed to succeed the manager unless there is some stringent 
reason for breaking the line of succession. The captain in 
following years should be elected by the team, those mem- 
bers only having a vote who have played in part or the 
whole of the match that is classed as the imj)ortant contest 
of the year. 

Permanent Advisory Committee. In subsequent years 
the advisory committee may Avell be increased, and may con- 
sist of two graduates elected by the graduates of the school, 
two members of the faculty, appointed by the trustees or 



ORGANIZING A TEAM 89 

named by the head master, and the captain and manager ex 
officio. This committee may or may not have executive 
power, but, if it seem best to vest them with more than advi- 
sory powers, such powers should be conveyed to them through 
a vote of the school at a mass meeting. 

Formation of the Association. A constitution should 
be drawn up, covering all points, both as to the powers of 
the various officers and also as to the right to vote. It may 
be best to give every member of the school the right to vote ; 
or, it may seem better to qualify this right by the formation 
of an association, every member of the school who sub- 
scribes a certain sum being a member of this association, 
and so possessing the right to vote. The sum need not be 
large — merely sufficient to show an interest in the project. 
The subscriptions may be annual, or simply a certain sum 
paid in bulk, making the subscriber a member during his 
school course. 

Practical Management. To return to the practical work. 
As soon as a team is organized it is time to consider the 
question of a coach. In the large universities there are nat- 
urally many graduates of the schools, and it is, therefore, not 
difficult to secure in this line the occasional services of some 
alumnus. It would be well, were it possible, to have a reg- 
ular coach, — one who could be on hand every day, — but 
next best to this is to arrange for a succession of coaches 
coming each for a short time. The captain must then do most 
of the daily coaching himself. Fortunately, in almost every 
properly regulated school to-day there is upon the faculty 
some man who is thoroughly posted upon college and school 
athletics, and who is capable of giving the boys all they 
require in the way of special coaching. Under his charge 
should be placed the general direction of the team's progress. 

University or College Organization. As the work of 
organizing a team in a college or university is along almost 
similar lines to those here laid down for a school, it is not 
necessary to cover it again in detail. An association should 
be formed, constitution adopted, manager, assistant manager, 
and advisory committees elected, as described for school 
organizations. 



90 FOOTBALL 

Building up of a School of Coaching. lu the matter 
of coaching and the selection of coach, the situation is some- 
what more complex, for it is almost imperative for the 
eventual success of the sport at a college or university that 
the work be begun under the supervision of a thoroughly com- 
petent coach, who then may educate a body of coaches to 
assist him in the work, and eventually establish a strong 
system. If this be properly accomplished at the outset, the 
continuance of it, even in the absence of the original coach, 
will not be a matter of difficulty, and, in the end, the college 
or university will have a number of graduates who can, by 
working together, carry the team on from year to year. To 
organize such a body of coaches and to get the system in 
working order is only a matter of care and willingness on 
the part of the graduates. They should devote all the time 
possible to the matter, and be present, not only on the field, 
but also at the meetings off the field, to discuss the whys 
and wherefores of the proceedings. It is well that while 
the first appointed coach is with the team, some one of 
these graduates be selected as the one who shall afterward 
hold the position of head coach. If possible, a man should 
be chosen for this position whose business or profession is 
likely to keep him permanently in the university town. If 
this is not possible, try and find some graduate with leisure 
and a strong inclination towards clean sport who will accept 
this responsible charge. Although at first he may be no better 
posted than his companions, he will from an earnest study 
of the sport, coupled with his permanency of position, be- 
come the actual as well as the acknowledged head of the 
coaching staff. He in turn should do all in his power to build 
up a school of coaches, and use all efforts to have the desira- 
ble ones return year after year. By such a method of organ- 
ization, and the establishment of a sound system, that will 
be carried on season after season, the very best results will 
be obtained, not only in point of deriving all the possible 
benefit from the sport, but also, what appeals more promptly 
and directly to the undergraduates' desire, in the greatest 
number of victories won. 



CHAPTER II 

TRAINING A TEAM WITHOUT A SECOND ELEVEN 

First Decide whether there is a Second Eleven. 

The first thing a captain or coach should do upon taking 
charge of a team -is to find out whether he is to have a second 
eleven or not. A great many teams presumably practise 
against a second eleven, whereas in fact there is no second 
eleven, and a frank confession of this at the outset would 
save a great deal of wasted time, and the result in the form 
of a finished team would be much more satisfactory. 

There is no second eleven if the captain cannot rely upon 
having over twenty-two men at least out every day. To have 
twenty-five men out one day, and nineteen the next, almost 
invariably results in a long wait on the second day in the 
hope that the three extra men which are necessary to com- 
plete the second eleven will show up. Many a day is wasted 
from delays of a like nature, which a frank confession of the 
inability to have on hand a second eleven would turn into a 
satisfactory practice, for it is possible to get fairly good work 
and a moderately able team without the presence of a second 
eleven. In fact, it is almost easier to get a well-drilled team 
without a second eleven than with one. 

Practice Possible without a Second Eleven. There 
are many teams in this country, representing colleges and 
schools, as well as athletic clubs, where the presence of a 
second eleven for daily practice is out of the question. It is 
always a study with the captain in such a condition of affairs 
as to what he can make out of his men, and how he shall go 
to work to develop the team. Let us take up first the points 
in which he simply follows the established precedent of 
teams that play against a second eleven. The second eleven 
is not used in the morning when practice in kicking, catch- 



92 FOOTBALL 

ing, and passing takes place. The second eleven is not used 
to any great extent when the first eleven are walking through 
their plays and practising the formation of interference. 
The second eleven is not used to assist in signal practice. In 
all these points, then, a team is as well off without a second 
eleven as the team which possesses enough men to make an 
actual game possible. We thus see that a team may practise 
kicking, catching, running, forming interference, and getting 
through signals without the aid of a second eleven. 

How to Split a Team. But a team cannot practise 
blocking, breaking through, breaking interference, or practical 
tackling without opponents. The simplest way to secure 
these opponents, therefore, is to split a regular team in two. 
It is always practicable to, as it were, bend the line over, and 
with one extra man for the centre, play the guard opposite 
guard, the tackle opposite tackle, and the end opposite end, 
thus giving both sides of the line practice, and answering all 
the purpose of an ordinary opposition. Then, with four or 
five other men, the coach may have half-backs, quarter-back, 
and full-back on the opposing side. Thus with sixteen men 
it is possible to have a regular practice with the exception 
that it is directed on one side of the field, and criss-crosses 
are not available. But all the detail of blocking, breaking 
through, interfering, and breaking interference can be prac- 
tised in this way with almost as good effect as in the regular 
line-up of university teams. 

Drilling and Explaining. Beyond this the men can be 
much more carefully coached, and it is an acknowledged fact 
that the teams which have the least chance of playing with 
a second eleven are usually the best drilled in their for- 
mations. This is probably owing to the fact that the same 
amount of time is spent by these teams in going through 
their formations as the other teams pass in regular play. It 
is also easier to explain to and coach fifteen men than thirty, 
and when a coach is instructing a university team in the 
midst of a line-up, it is generally necessary to explain to a 
great many more men than the first eleven. 

Less Chance of Injury. Another advantage of prac- 
tising without a second eleven is that there is less chance of 



TRAINING A TEAM WITHOUT A SECOND ELEVEN 93 

injury, and fewer men will be required to last through, the 
season. A great many of the injuries that are received in 
the universit}^ teams come during practice, and here a team 
without a second eleven has a double advantage in that it 
preserves its men intact, and also that it is possible for such 
a team to practice with the same men day after day, until 
each one has his own part to perfection and they all move 
together like clock-work. 

Daily Discussions. Another valuable feature that should 
be seized upon by the coach or captain who is without a sec- 
ond eleven, is that of daily talk and discussion on the points 
likely to arise. Some of these talks should occur on the 
field during intermission, while others should be held in the 
evening, so that there may be plenty of discussion and plenty 
of actual practice. It is possible, also, to take the men in 
small divisions, where the numbers are light, and practise, 
if the hours are short, sometimes both morning and after- 
noon, taking, for instance, six rushes at a time, and teaching 
them to block and break through, make openings, lift the line 
back, and do the other thousand and one things that there 
are for the expert forward of to-day. 

Special Rules for Practice. The ingenious captain or 
coach can also devise many methods that will insure him as 
much line-up practice as is good for the men by simply mak- 
ing certain rules, in force for the time being. For instance, 
as mentioned above, playing entirely on one side of the field 
without criss-crosses or any plays that involve running on 
both sides of the centre. Then he can bar out kicking, or he 
can play a kicking game only on one side of the field, so that 
but one end has the opportunity of going down. He may 
also take an occasion when double passes alone are used, and 
with his extra five men put them all up into the line instead 
of using half-backs and backs. On the whole, no captain 
should be greatly grieved over the fact that he has but fif- 
teen or twenty men, for it is better to have fifteen or twenty 
men that will work hard and practise with regularity than 
to have thirty men, only ten of whom can be relied upon to 
be on hand every day. 

Strict Rulings. The practice when without a second 



94 FOOTBALL 

eleven should be as much like a game as possible. By this 
is meant that each man should do his level best, and there 
should be strict ruling regarding fouls and unfair tactics of 
all descriptions. There is nothing that causes the practice 
to degenerate so rapidly as to allow holding in the line or 
unfair work of any kind. It is as necessary for the practice 
of a team that has no second eleven that there should be an 
umpire as it is for regular university practice. Then, too, 
the performance of the men should be thoroughly conscien- 
tious. Each man should go through his part of the play 
whether there is an opponent against him or not, exactly as 
he would in a match. There is nothing to drive him to do 
this save his own conscience, and that must be occasionally 
stimulated by the captain and coach. 

Lack of Interest. How to Overcome. The greatest 
difficulty in playing without a second eleven arises from lack 
of interest, and this may be surmounted in a measure by 
special encouragement given to each man when he performs 
his work w^ell, and by establishing a firm conviction that in 
order to play on a winning team each man must put his 
whole heart and soul into the work while on the practice 
field. 

Outside Games Necessary. In order to carry out the 
ideas above expressed, it is advisable that as many practice 
games as possible with outside team's be arranged. These 
practice games should serve two purposes. First, they 
should provide for that part of the hard work which is neces- 
sary toward making a man able to endure ; and secondly, 
they should be used as tests to find out wherein the plays 
that are being practised are weak, and what special parts of 
them need alteration. The captain and coach should also 
secure considerable valuable information from these practice 
matches as to the pluck or " sand " of the men on the team. 
It is very easy for a man when playing against his friends 
to exhibit plenty of courage, but when he faces a deter- 
mined opponent, who is a stranger to him, he may show the 
white feather, and it is for this reason that the men should 
be closely watched in practice games, and action taken on 
any hint of shirking. 



TRAINING A TEAM WITHOUT A SECOND ELEVEN 95 

Tests. To conclude briefly, the great difficulties which 
assail the captain and coach when so short of men as to 
make a second eleven impossible are those of lack of inter- 
est and lack of satisfactory tests. All the other difficulties 
can be overcome with a little ingenuity, but these two main 
ones must be always on the captain's mind, and he must 
work hard to stimulate interest, and watch closely the prac- 
tice games, which must be to him the tests that ordinarily 
come through the aid of the second eleven's work. 



CHAPTER III 

INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS 

End Rush. Experience and Physical Characteristics. 
The position of end rush is one capable of the highest devel- 
opment of any along the line. For here a man can be at 
the same time a part of the rush-line and also a part of the 
half-back division. It requires cleverness in the highest 
degree, and experience is one of the most necessary qualifica- 
tions, although it sometimes happens that a man with a nat- 
ural instinct for the game will make such progress as to 
really entitle him to the position at the end of a single sea- 
son. This is the rare exception, however, and usually the 
ends are men who have served a long apprenticeship in pre- 
paratory schools as well as on the second eleven. The end 
needs, the greatest attention of the coach. Personally, a 
man for this position will probably be a lively, dashing player 
of wiry build, with no superfluous weight to carry, but mus- 
cular and quite capable of making every pound of that weight 
tell. For this very reason he must not be worked to death, 
and yet he must be kept up to the best performance always. 

Condition a Prime Factor. For the good of the rest of 
the team in making their plays what they should be, the end 
must be put in condition early, and kept in good shape all the 
time. Hence, as noted in another chapter in this book, the 
coach must provide himself with a good supply of end mate- 
rial, and work the candidates alternately, so as to keep them 
all fast and active. 

His Defensive Play. On the defense, outside of his rela- 
tion to the tackle, the end has to be prej^ared always for 
short kicks, and for quarter-back or " on-side " kicks. He 
should be ever ready to warn his line if he sees from his 
position of greater vantage any unusual formations being 



INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS 97 

made; or any unaccountable preliminary move on the part of 
the enemy. He must also be ready to come back and assist 
his full-back when that player is handling a kick, and he 
must be quick to see and form an interference should his 
catcher have the opportunity for a run. The really clever 
end may often be made the director of this play, and may 
call out to the catcher the instructions as to running or heel- 
ing the ball, although this is preferably the work of the 
backs. The end is also the man to be ready for a bad pass 
by the opponents, that goes past the intended recipient 
toward the edge of the field. A fumbled pass is usually too 
far in toward the centre for the end to venture, and the 
tackle should lunge after that kind of a pass ; but high 
passes, or passes too far in front of the runner, will come 
the end's way, and quickness to seize upon such an opportu- 
nity may mean a touch-down and perhaps a game. 

Meeting Interference. As to the end's duties in meeting 
interference, one might almost fill up another chapter with 
this one phase of his play, for it is all important. But it is 
" a life that must be lived " to be appreciated. Calm, cold- 
blooded directions may help a man to learn to kick, or to 
run, or to block, but they seem almost tame when applied to 
that part of football known as breaking up interference. 
The best description one can give of an ideal end in this 
respect is that he appears to be standing before an advancing 
wave of men as a swimmer about to plunge through the surf. 
As that wave strikes him he seems to cleave it apart, and, 
without apparent effort, appears standing behind the wave 
in the same expectant, waiting attitude as when it struck 
him. 

Beaching the Runner. There are ends, and there have 
been ends, who apparently accomplished this, and, if one 
can get close enough to watch the eyes of such an end, he 
sees them fastened upon the man with the ball, and, what- 
ever motion he may make with arms or shoulders in breaking 
the interference, he never takes his eyes off the runner, and 
hardly winks even as he is struck. All this seems too strong 
to be true, and of course even the best end cannot always 
thus make way through and reach the runner. When the 



98 FOOTBALL 

runner, for instance, is hugging his interferers very tightly, 
the end has to keep beating at the interferers with his hands 
and arms, pushing them, and backing away toward touch, 
leading the play out across the field, and slowing it up so 
that while he, by keeping comparatively clear of the mass, 
forbids the outlet of the runner, some one, say the far tackle, 
coming from behind, reaches the man with the ball ; and no 
ground, or but very little, results from the play. Again the 
mass may be moving too rapidly for such tactics, and yet too 
close to the runner to make it safe for the, end to cut in. 
Then it may be necessary for him to go down against it, and 
bring it over him, taking a last chance on his knees of seiz- 
ing the runner as the pile passes over him. 

The layman, reading of such possibilities of end play, may 
be inclined to disbelieve in the willingness of a player to 
take such chances. It does look hard in cold type, but there 
are a dozen ends on every 'Varsity field ready to do far more 
dashing and plucky things than merely meet a formed inter- 
ference. 

On the Offensive. The duties of an end on offense are 
equally arduous. With the rapid advance in the science of 
the game in the last few years, he has become both a line 
man and a running half-back, — in fact, a good end may be 
used, on a pinch, as a half-back, either from his regular place 
at end, or he can actually substitute if there be a shortage in 
halves. As a runner from his own position he receives better 
interference than does the half or full back. Then, on the 
other hand, when the far half on his opposite end runs, he 
makes a most important part of the early interference by 
boxing the tackle or rush-line half. 

On Kicks. Finally, on kicks, he swings out well in the 
line, clearing his obstacle, and goes down madly upon the 
receiving back, ready for a fumble, or springing like a cat 
upon the man who attempts a run. On a quarter-back kick 
he gets on-side, and, with perfect confidence, dashes forward 
and catches the ball on fly or bound, and may even get in a 
run at the end. 

The Tackle. Strength and Dash. Saves the End and 
Rush-Line Back. After all this work by the end there is 



INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS 99 

still left a little something for his more moderate-moving 
comrade — the " tackle " — to do. He, the tackle, has the 
pounds and the strength, and must take good care of his end 
and his rush-line back. He will not let them pound them- 
selves to pieces against the heavy packed oncoming mass. 
He knows that they are both good men, and will not hesi- 
tate a moment, when it becomes necessary, to smash any- 
thing that comes, and for that very reason he appreciates 
the unsoundness of any play by him that shall leave heavy 
mass-meeting for these lighter and more high-strung bundles 
of nerves that flank him and pick the runner with an almost 
unerring certainty. He, the tackle, therefore, throws him- 
self in on the instant of the snap-back, and if he does not hit 
the runner he strikes the interference hard, and smashes as 
much of it back on the runner as he can ; he stays with it as 
long as he can, and when he goes down and it goes over him 
he grabs what seems to be the tail end of it, and which usu- 
ally is the man with the ball. But if he gets nothing, he 
knows from his feelings that he has opened up a hole in it, 
and that one of his two tried friends is probably through 
that hole and anchored on the runner. 

Flay on the Offensive. On the offense he blocks, and 
blocks hard. When the run is coming his way he blocks 
long ; when it is going on the other side, he comes away 
quickly and follows close. He may make runs himself. In 
that case he plans various methods of getting away free and 
cleanly from his vis-a-vis ; he hugs the ball tightly as he 
takes it from the quarter, and, keeping his head down low 
to escape observation, he plunges into the line, never stop- 
ping as long as he can make his feet go. 

Flay on Kicks. On kicks, if he be on the kicker's side, 
he blocks close and hard, and when he hears that thump of 
the leather that tells the kick is made, he gets down the 
field. If he be on the other side of the line from the kicker, 
he only blocks short and sharp and moves down. 

The Guard. Steady and Fowerful. The guard is a pecul- 
iar type of man. He is apt to carry with his added pounds 
an amount of laziness and good-natured carelessness that 
requires all the coaching possible to eradicate. He ought to 

ILofC. 



100 FOOTBALL 

be a powerful fellow in legs, body, and arms. The more 
quickness he has with these the better ; but he must, to play 
the modern game, be heavy. His duties on defense lie in 
assisting the tackle, and in protecting the opening between 
himself and tackle, as well as between himself and centre. 
He ought to plow through hard and low, but with enough 
swing to insure stopping any man trying to come through 
outside him. 

A Block to Masses, When he meets the interference he 
should never be lifted up by the push, but must settle down, 
and, if he finds it crowding him back, go quite down on to 
the ground before it, and bring it to a standstill. He can- 
not, in the close quarters of the centre, always tackle low, 
but he should always bend back anything he gets hold of, 
and should be no gentle weight when he hangs himself upon 
the man with the ball. 

A Protection on Offense. On the offense, that is, when his 
side has possession of the ball, it is his duty to see that 
the quarter-back is thoroughly protected. That is his first 
duty, and until he has accomplished that he should attempt 
nothing else. There is no more fatal blunder than that of 
allowing the quarter to be interfered with. But after that 
duty is performed, he has, in the running game, to n-rake open- 
ings for plays on his own side the line, and to get out into the 
interference in plays over on the far side. Like the tackle, 
he may also be used to run with the ball, both from his 
position and by dropping back. 

The Centre. More General Activity. Having thus cov- 
ered the places on both sides, we should complete the dis- 
cussion of the duties of the linesmen by a description of 
the work of the centre. He, like the guard, is a man of 
weight. But, while in the case of the guard we need, or 
rather expect, more general activity in breaking through, in 
the case of the centre we require more steadiness. For it is 
indispensable to the success of any play that the ball be 
snapped back properly to the quarter, and that uniformity of 
movement be preserved at this point in the play. 

Hoio to Stand. A centre must be strong on his legs, and 
must devote a great deal of practice to securing a good poise. 



INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS 101 

The method of standing with both feet nearly on a line is 
preferable to placing one foot back farther than the other 
for a brace, although a centre who can stand in the former 
way may occasionally rest himself or bother his opponents 
by a change. 

Defensive Flay. In defensive work, that is, when the 
opponents have the ball, he should endeavor, while protect- 
ing the centre openings, to throw his opposing snap-back 
over on to his quarter at times, and he should also keep him 
very nervous about the openings. He, the centre, may go 
through himself, or he may help a guard through, or he may 
make an opening for his quarter to get through. Like all 
line men, he should have a variety of methods for accomplish- 
ing his object, and should seldom do the thing twice in the 
same way. 

The Quarter-Back. Coming now to the men behind the 
line. The quarter-back forms the connecting link between 
the forwards and the half-backs. He is the man through 
whom must come almost every play that is made, and upon 
whom, therefore, rests more responsibility than falls to the 
lot of any other one of the eleven men. No position can be 
so constantly important as this. 

Practicalli/ Captain. We find in him the practical captain 
of the team, so far as the direction of rapid play is concerned. 
It is possible for the captain to give signals from some other 
position, and thus run the team instead of permitting the 
quarter to do it ; but thus far such a method has not proved 
so generally successful as has the plan of allowing the quar- 
ter to give the signals upon his own responsibility, the cap- 
tain countermanding any play of which he disapproves. 
There is little doubt that with a fairly good quarter-back 
this works more satisfactorily than any other plan. We 
need, therefore, in this position, not merely a clever player 
of the game, but a general as well. 

Clever and a General. Select Brains. Select then, for 
your quarter-back material, as much brains as can be found 
in any of your candidates. Then re-select again, taking the 
coolest of the lot, and finally pick out from these the men 
whom you class as the most capable in judgment and the 



102 FOOTBALL 

most reliable in emergencies, — the chosen few who would 
never give up, no matter what the odds, — and you have the 
men upon whom you can afford to expend your energies in 
teaching the art of quarter-back play. 

Size of Quarters. As a rule, quarters are not big men. 
There are several reasons for this : first, the cunning and 
strategy that the position demands seem inconsistent with 
large frames. Then, too, the amount of bending over and 
quick movement necessary in a quarter is cruelly hard on a 
big man, and he usually gets very slow after a half hour of 
it. Nor can the big man, as a rule, succeed in getting off 
quickly enough to lead the interference. Barring these ex- 
ceptions, however, there is little reason why a large man 
should not play quarter. 

Cheerful, Alert, and Confident. A quarter must keep up a 
cheery disposition ; he should be absolutely above discourage- 
ment (save in his own playing), should always have confi- 
dence in his men, and should stimulate them by his very pres- 
ence to do their best. He should never forget that every 
time his team lines up, his backs look at him, and they should 
always see him alert, ready, and confident. 

Handling the Ball and Steadying the Line. J.n handling 
the ball he should learn to pass from either side, and to 
either side ; he should learn to get off at the same time. 
He should practice holding the ball for the runner to take 
from him on short line bucking, and should swing himself 
in behind the runner on plays of this nature with all the 
pounds of push he can add. It is his duty to " jolly up " the 
guards to their work, to keep the centre steady, and on 
the defense to be ever ready for an opening, while never 
making the blunder of being drawn into a preconcerted trap- 
opening by the opponents. He must not only do more than 
any other man on the team, but he must think more. 

The Three Backs. Becoming All Alike. The duties of 
the three backs on the offense, that is, when their side has 
possession of the ball, are comparatively the same, even 
though two of them are called halves and the third the full- 
back. One of the three runs, and the other two assist. For 
the variety of the play the reader is referred to the chapter 
giving diagrams. But there is something to be said regard- 



INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS ^ 103 

ing these players, aside from giving each his exact position 
for any running play. There are no men on the field who 
need so much confidence in each other, so much thorough 
reliance, one upon the other, as these three. 

Confidence in Each Other. They should be essentially en 
rapport. When our full-back takes the ball and goes up with 
it, there should be two men with him who will fight like 
demons to help him gain an inch, who will strike the line 
with him as though it were but a yielding hedge, and who . 
will drag him along somehow for his distance. And when 
the half goes up, he knows that the other half and the full- 
back will do the same for him. On this account backs should 
never be overworked. They need the fire and dash, and their 
game depends upon it. Don't take it out of them by send- 
ing them too much. They are of finer material than the line 
men, and must be kept fit by less work and more encourage- 
ment. 

Build and Character. Backs should be, in physical build, 
not necessarily large, but well put together, and should be 
men who possess that art of control over all their muscles 
which is commonly termed "having the knack of doing 
things." They should never be clumsy fellows, because such 
men inevitably lay up either themselves or their comrades. 
Many prefer short, thick-set runners, but the success of taller 
and more slender men in line bucking has demonstrated the 
fact that it is legs rather than body that help a man through 
a line. Besides, the taller men can usually out-punt the 
shorter ones, and hence, as a kicker (and two of the three 
should be good kickers), the long leg has the advantage. 

One a Leader. One of the three men back of the line 
should act as a sort of leader, and give all commands regard- 
ing who should catch a kick, whether to run or not (this 
latter to be only advice, for the catcher himself has the final 
right of judgment here), and also general orders as to which 
opponent to take when protecting a catcher. Not only should 
these three men have, beside the daily practice at the line- 
up, kicking practice, but they should be especially drilled 
upon catching punts, the quarter being included in the prac- 
tice, until, in the last two weeks, it may be determined which 
two of the four are the most certain catchers. 



CHAPTEE IV 

RELATIONSHIPS OF THE POSITIONS 

Theory of Line Defense. If one could imagine that 
the arms of the players in the rush-line were as long as their 
possible tackling distance, the theory of the rush-line defense 
would be to have each man's finger-tips touch those of his 
neighbor, while the outer arms of the end rushers reached 
the touch line. Some teams of the past have been so nearly 
perfect in defensive play and tactics as to reach very close 
to this stage of the theoretical ideal. Beginning, then, at 
the outside, we say to the end and the tackle that the space 
from the farthest reach of the guard, out to the touch line, is 
in their care. They have a rush-line half-back to aid them, 
and thus can count upon a certain greater freedom of action 
than in the old style of play, when the half-bafeks were kept 
more in the reserve. To limit the responsibility, it is fair to 
say that the end is solely responsible for the protection of 
the side line ; that is, no matter what the excuse or provoca- 
tion or temptation may be to draw in toward the field itself 
to help out the tackle, there is but one law for him that must 
not be broken, and that is " guard the edge." Here again 
the addition of the rush-line back has made it possible, by 
the style of team play spoken of in the chapter on that 
branch, for the end to go in and help the tackle under cer- 
tain circumstances. 

Triangular Relation between the End, Tackle, and 
Rush-Line Back. The relation is almost a triangular one 
of tackle, rush-line back, and end, and any two of them may, 
at a pinch, " go in," but three never should go in. Suppose 
the play is directed exactly at the tackle. Some rush-line 
backs play on the line with the tackle. In that case the 
tackle or line-back goes through, according as one or the 



RELATIONSHIPS OF THE POSITIONS 105 

other has the better opportunity. Whichever it is, he meets 
the interference, and endeavors to break it up, while his 
partner comes on behind, and takes the second turn at it, 
the end, meantime, covering the outside, but coming in as far 
as he can with safety, so that, if the interference actually 
engages the two, tackle and half-back, the end may take the 
runner as he comes free. 

A Safe Stop for a Well-Protected End Run. Sup- 
pose, now, the run comes for the end. The inside man of 
the three is likely to be blocked or so tangled up in the inter- 
ference that getting through in time to be in front of the 
runner is practicably impossible. Hence he can then be 
regarded as the safest man to help out the end by immedi- 
ately going out, and as he goes out the end can come in, and 
with the tackle (or the second man, whether it be the tackle 
or half-back) smash the interference. 

Having thus clearly defined the relationship of the end 
and the tackle in their defensive play, we make it possible 
for a coach to describe the duties and qualifications of both 
players with far greater directness than when merely han- 
dling each position by itself. 

The Tackle's Inside Assistant. But the tackle has, 
like the end, some othei^ good friends who are ever ready to 
back him up, so that he need never feel alone in his position. 
We have already spoken of the end and the rush-line back, 
and how, with the tackle, they make up a trio that on the 
defense should be a hard crowd to pass or put out of the 
way. On the inside the tackle has still another helper, and 
one, too, of a different character. In the case of the end 
and half-back, the tackle has two indefatigably active work- 
ers, who can either of them move with greater agility than 
he ; but, as we have already noted, the tackle knows that he 
must never rely upon these two for heavy work save in the 
direst extremity. In the guard, however, he has a helper of 
quite another type. Here is a man not only the tackle's 
equal, but usually his superior, in the way of strength and 
weight, a big fellow who can plow into the heaviest mass 
like a bull, and who can always be relied upon to lift, and 
lift hard, when the attack is jammed up into the centre. 



106 FOOTBALL 

For this reason the tackle always tries to turn the heavy plays 
in toward the centre where the guard and centre will be met, 
and where, if weight be required, it is always t6 be found. 

Guard and Tackle on Fake Plays. In mentioning 
the tackle's intimate relation with his guard, we should say 
that this relation is not of such great importance as are the 
duties of the tackle toward the end, and his play with the 
rush-line back, save in mass plays and fake plays. In these 
two the guard-tackle play becomes vitally important. We 
will take up the fake plays first. 

Suppose that the full-back pretends that he is about to 
kick, but the play is for the quarter to make a short pass 
to the half, who jumps straight ahead and tries to go through 
on his own side of the line. Although this play is fre- 
quently attempted outside the tackle, it is not a showy play, 
and seldom a successful one when sent outside. The trouble 
is that the necessary pause or length of pass is too great, 
and one of the three, tackle, rush-line back, or end, " nails ^' 
the man before he can get through. 

The play — if it be properly worked as a " fake " — is far 
more likely to be a good one when directed inside the tackle. 
Here, then, comes the relation of guard to ' tackle. The 
guard is big, and not as lively as end or tackle or rush-line 
back. But he can project himself with a plunge a long dis- 
tance on account of his size, and it is his duty to do just 
this in the case alluded to. He throws himself side wise at 
the breach which he is likely to see just as the man lunges 
forward at the opening. He usually barely reaches him, but 
comes near enough to get his hands or shoulder on the 
runner as he shoots through. 

Relation of Centre Trio and Quarter. The relation 
of the centre trio and the quarter complicates the position 
of guard, for, in addition to the above-mentioned duty 
toward the tackles, the two guards, on defensive play, work 
with the centre and quarter. The principle, as will be seen 
in the chapter upon team play, is that of always getting 
some one man through on every play. It is not always that 
the man is the quarter. The guard and centre may open up 
for him. But the two guards may also, on occasion, open 



KELATIONSHIPS OF THE POSITIONS 107 

up for the centre to go through, or the centre, quarter, and 
one guard make it so lively that there is an open space for 
the other guard to get through. All this can be planned and 
be in the hands of some one man of the four, who, as they 
are lining up, gives the signal indicating which method is 
to be used. Still again, it is sometimes played by the centre 
trio " stretching " the opposing line out as far as they can. 
Here the tackles also assist, and the quarter may even come 
up into the line himself. This is not a safe method to be 
played too often, but is a very disconcerting one to the 
opponents when used judiciously. 

Relations on Kicks and Offensive Play. This covers 
practically all the relations between the line men and their 
attendant backs on defense. In cases of kicks by the oppo- 
nents, the relations are more properly a separation of one or 
more of these backs from the rush-line and the attendance 
upon the receiving full-back. The quarter may be the man 
to go back, or the half-back. In either event the duties of 
the rush-line are, first, to attempt to spoil the kick or the 
pass, and then to assist either in interference for a run in, 
or, if the kick be returned, to get down the field. The ends 
get back as rapidly as possible to the aid of the catcher, 
interfering as much as possible with the opposing ends, and, 
in case of a run back, acting as the primary interferers. 

Eelationships between the various positions in offensive 
play are so unlike those on defensive play that no general 
rules can be laid down. We have noted a few, but each 
play forms a rule by itself, the first merit of many plays 
consisting in the fact that a different method is followed 
when the initial part of two or more plays may be exactly 
alike. 



CHAPTER V 

BLOCKING 

When to Teach It. Blocking is the first principle in 
offensive playing. There can be no successful offensive 
work without good blocking. Hence it is the first rudi- 
ment which a line man must master, and too much atten- 
tion cannot be given by the coach to this branch of rush-line 
work. 

It is a well-established maxim that successful blocking 
must be taught in the first three weeks of the season. In 
order that there may be no mistake about the thoroughness 
of the instruction in blocking during this early period, it is 
well to require of the rush-line that they shall play at this 
time without interdependence or any relatioinship between 
man and man. In other words, compel the team to win 
games from their earlier and weaker opponents of the sea-' 
son with the excellence of individual blocking only. Let 
there be no " theories of the defense " given to the line men 
until they are almost able to do without them ; in other 
words, until they are able to meet strong opponents, and 
maintain their position by individual, unrelated efforts at 
blocking. 

Two Divisions of the Subject. The rules for block- 
ing may be divided into two parts : Instructions covering 
the general ground of blocking for any position in the line, 
and instructions which apply especially to the individual 
position and work of the player. We will take up the two 
divisions in their order, and give first, as briefly as possible, 
a few instructions for general blocking, under any circum- 
stances and in any position. 

Position in Blocking. As a rule, it is wise to get as 
close as possible to the man you wish to block. Take your 



BLOCKING 109 

position squarely in front of him, with, legs and feet so 
placed that, while you can readily move in any direction, 
you are, nevertheless, so firmly planted upon your feet, and so 
squarely braced, that your opponent cannot push or pull you 
off your pins, or so far unsteady you that he can get free 
before you can recover. 

As to. the Feet and Legs. The position of the feet 
varies for different players ; for the centre trio, the feet 
should be almost on a line latitudinally with the body ; that 
is, neither foot should project to any appreciable extent 
ahead of the other. For a tackle, however, one foot should 
be slightly behind the other, so that the toe of the rear foot 
will be about upon a line with the heel of the forward foot. 
This is about as wide an opening latitudinally as should 
ever exist between the two feet in successful blocking. A 
wider opening may give a better brace against a backward 
push, but it will make a man's movements much slower. 

Before deciding just where your feet should be placed in 
blocking, make several tests and ascertain the exact position 
which you can best assume, and in which these two essen- 
tials may be provided for, — namely, that you can get away 
quickly ; and that you cannot be knocked off your pins in 
any direction by the most savage onslaught of your oppo- 
nent. A little experimenting will quickly determine the 
weak and strong points of any position you may assume. 
Above all, do not straddle, and stand on your toes, rather 
than on your heels or on the flat foot. The heels should be 
used as secondary supports, against which you come back for 
a firmer brace, while your position on your toes will tend to 
extreme agility, and enable you to follow every movement 
of your opponent without loss of time. Keep your feet 
under you in any case, so that you can be firm upon them ; 
and then vary your position with every movement of your 
opponent. Keep the legs bent, and apply your power rightly. 
One pound of force rightly applied in blocking is better than 
five pounds applied at a disadvantage. 

General Movement in Blocking. Keep as close to your 
opponent as possible. Watch every movement that he 
makes ; wherever he goes you are to follow ; especially 



110 FOOTBALL 

watcli his eyes as a cat would watch a mouse. Do not look 
at his canvas, his belt, or, worse still, his feet. If his eyes 
cannot be readily seen in the position which you have taken 
look at his head. Keep your own head up. The ideal posi- 
tion for your body is to get low, well under your opponent, 
so that you can lift him up and run him back, if possible, 
the instant the play starts. Furthermore, by getting very 
low, you do not expose your chest to a straight blow. 
Keep the body high enough to prevent your opponent from 
seizing you by the head as he goes through, as this would 
speedily put you in a position where you would be of no 
possible help in checking the play. Concentrate your mind 
upon the problem of how to plunge into him at the moment 
that the ball starts. His eyes will probably be upon the ball ; 
your eyes should be upon his eyes. The moment that you 
plunge into him, run him back out of the way, if possible, 
and make as large a hole as you can. If, by any mischance, 
your man should get by you, follow him, and run into him, 
or give him a running blocking-off before he can tackle. 

Comparison with Sparring. The be6t general idea of 
blocking may, perhaps, be gained by comparing it to spar- 
ring. In the latter sport your opponent is trying to hit you 
on some part of your body. In the present instance the 
same thing is true, if qualified by the fact that he is only 
doing this to aid himself in getting you out of his way ; in 
order to parry his attack you must watch him, and if possible 
jump into him before he can plunge into you. Go into him 
hard enough, if possible, to keep him out of the play, and 
then yourself instantly join the general interference. Strive 
always for the ideal position, which is to get your body 
directly across the path of your opponent in breaking 
through, so that your two bodies would form the shape of the 
letter X. Finally, listen closely for the signal, and let your 
blocking go with the play. 

What is Body-Checking ? Body-checking is a term 
which is generally synonymous with blocking, but in reality 
it is blocking in its highest development, for all blocking, 
properly, should be done with the body. The player should 
understand that the arms alone are never strong enough to 



BLOCKING 111 

block a man successfully ; only to reenforce and supplement 
the action of the body, should the upper arms be employed. 

A Cominon Fault with Young Players. A general 
error with inexperienced players is to try and reach too far 
with the body, and this weakens its resisting force. Where- 
ever the body goes, the legs and arms should go with it. 
Keep the legs well bent under the body, until you are ready 
for the final movement of straightening up and putting all 
your force against your opponent as the ball starts in play. 
You can scarcely go into your opponent too strongly at this 
last decisive moment. The old expression, often used by 
coaches, " pile into him like a ton of bricks/! is not so far 
wrong after all. 

Other General Hints on Blocking. When you are 
blocking an opponent close to the line, do not yield an inch. 
Be careful not to let him get a grip on your outside arm, for 
it would be of immense assistance to him in going through 
the line. 

Eemember that your brace must not be merely against a 
backward push, but equally against a forward pull, or a side- 
ways plunge. In other words, it must stiffen you against a 
throw in any direction. 

Always block your man away from the play. It is fair to 
assume that you can successfully check his onslaught for a 
brief interval of time ; and your blocking should be so di- 
rected as to prevent him from reaching the runner at the 
point at w^hich the runner will be after this first interval 
has elapsed. In other words, if you are blocking a tackle 
for a run around the end, you would naturally block him on 
the outside, for it would be reasonable to assume that if you 
force him to go inside of you, he would scarcely get clear 
from you until the runner had reached a point from which 
your opponent could not check him, except from behind. 

Be careful in your blocking not to give away the direction 
of the play. This is a fatal error, into which, the inexperi- 
enced player will fall ifnless he watches himself. 

Different Kinds of Blocking. Certain special occasions 
call for slight differences in the method of blocking, and it 
may be well to say here a word on three of these variations. 



112 FOOTBALL 

We will classify them as " body-checking," " blocking hard," 
and " blocking long." 

Body - checking. Body - checking implies temporarily 
checking the progress of an opponent, rather than prevent- 
ing his linal movements. It is well illustrated in the work 
of an end going down the field under a punt; while not 
lingering to block before he starts, he is, nevertheless, ex- 
pected to slightly body-check an opponent in the rush-line, 
with a view to giving more complete protection to his own 
kicker. 

Blocking Hard. Blocking hard is a term used to desig- 
nate the kind of blocking which a man must do who is sta- 
tioned on either side of the hole through which the runner 
is to pass. When we tell a man to " block hard " it means 
that the exigencies of this particular play require of him a 
special effort or spurt. He is to play his strongest card ; he 
is to sharpen every faculty and redouble every energy. The 
whole success of the impending movement depends upon 
him. His blocking for this one encountep must be absolutely 
sure. This is all summed up in the brief instruction, 
"Block hard." 

Blocking Long. Blocking long is a term used to cover 
those exigencies which require that the resistance to the 
opponents' movements shall be maintained during a consid- 
erable interval of time. When a player " blocks hard " he 
concentrates all his energy, and expends it in the briefest 
interval, during which he has his opponent completely at his 
mercy. If, on the other hand, he "blocks long," he so hus- 
bands his resources and his strength that he keeps his oppo- 
nent from interfering with the play for a period of time 
nearly twice as long as the usual period covered by ordinary 
blocking. 

" Long blocking " is, perhaps, the most difficult of any for 
the average player to acquire. It is not easy to lay down 
special rules for his guidance. It is, rather, a faculty which 
will come to him intuitively, as he stifdies different opponents 
and learns more of the principles of primary blocking. He 
will find that there are certain methods by which he can block 
one opponent for a considerable interval of time, which will 



BLOCKING 113 

be wholly useless when he tries them upon another opponent. 
Different men have different styles of play, which must be 
met by different tactics. In general, the position we have 
described, in which the bodies of the two men take the form 
of the letter X, is a sure position for long blocking. 

Special Instructions for Blocking by the Centre- 
Rush. The problem of the centre-rush on the offense has 
been rendered much simpler by the recent legislation which 
forbids the opposing centre from interfering with the ball 
until it is put in play. Before this law was enacted, the 
blocking of the centre-rush was one of the most important 
features in the play of the line ; but having now the exclu- 
sive control of the ball until it is snapped, his difficulties are 
greatly lessened. 

There are various ways for the centre to block his man 
after he has put the ball in play. Of course, he knows the 
exact instant when the ball is to go back, and in this respect 
he has a great advantage over any other man in the rush-line. 
He can plunge forward into his opponent on the instant that 
he snaps the ball, gaining a foot or more by the very force 
of his plunge ; or, if his opponent is down too low, he may 
fall on him. Beside this, he can frequently lift him to one 
side or the other, and in any event he has little difficulty in 
protecting the quarter, so far as interference from the oppos- 
ing centre is concerned. 

As for the position of his feet, it is a great advantage if he 
can keep his feet on a line, neither foot being in advance of 
the other. It is possible to take such a position, and be 
firmly braced in all directions. If, however, the centre finds 
it difficult to thus brace himself, let him take the position 
which the tackle would assume. This might be described 
as almost identical with the position of a sprinter " on the 
mark." The body bends at the knees and hips ; and the 
support being on the toes, with the joints very springy, 
the position is altogether a very comfortable one to main- 
tain ; although it can easily be proved that the position first 
recommended for the centre is by far the better one to 
adopt. 

Special Instructions for Blocking by a Guard. A 



114 FOOTBALL 

guard in blocking has several duties to perform, and we will 
mention these duties in the order of their importance, for 
this is the order in which they should be in his mind, and in 
which they should receive his attention. 

His first duty is to protect his centre in making the snap, 
and his quarter in securing the ball and making the pass ; 
his second is the necessity of blocking his opponent long 
enough to prevent him from reaching the runner ; next, the 
making an opening on either side of his position in the line ; 
and lastly comes the necessity of getting into the interfer- 
ence himself as quickly and as strongly as possible. 

It follows, naturally, that in performing all these various 
duties he will be somewhat limited in his freedom of move- 
ment, and his position must necessarily be more or less con- 
trolled by the exigencies of the occasion. In general, the 
guard should stand with his feet well spread apart. It is a 
safe rule to keep the legs as far apart as possible, up to the 
limit of not hindering his quickness and activity. The 
advantage is always with the man who can earliest put his 
power into action. 

A very effective method of blocking for a guard is what 
is commonly known as the shoulder-check, which consists in 
meeting an opponent strongly on the upper part of his hips 
with the outside shoulder. It must be borne in mind that 
the blocking of the guard is of greater importance than the 
work of any other man in the line, for his close proximity 
to the quarter-back makes weak blocking here a serious men- 
ace to the safety of the pass. The guard should be careful 
not to allow his opponent to draw him too far from his own 
centre. He may follow his opponent out a little, but the 
limit of safety in this direction is quickly reached. 

The guard of all other players must learn long blocking, 
for this is the method which he must always employ when a 
kick is ordered. In general, no set rules need be laid down 
for the guard as to the placing of his feet ; the better posi- 
tion, if he can take it, is to stand with both feet on a line ; 
this will be hard to acquire and somewhat painful at first, 
but the advantages of such a position repay his efforts. All 
his blocking should be done with his body very low, and 



BLOCKING 115 

bent fairly well forward. In this position he can be better 
braced, and not so much exposed to the rough handling of 
an opponent. 

The guard's position in blocking will, of course, be differ- 
ent if he is himself to run with the ball. For this, it is 
necessary that he should get away free and clear from his op- 
ponent the instant the snap is made. He can sometimes 
contrive to strike his opponent in the chest, and then let the 
very force of his push or blow be his own impetus in the 
opposite direction. In any case, there must not be a mo- 
ment's delay in getting clear. Whatever method will get 
the guard under headway in the shortest order will be the 
proper method to use. 

Special Instructions for Blocking by a Tackle. Block- 
ing by the tackle is but little less in importance than block- 
ing by the guard. In certain plays the guard's position 
makes his blocking of greater relative value, but there are 
many operations in which the tackle bears a heavy load of 
responsibility for his blocking. 

First of all, let it be understood that if the space between 
himself and his adjoining guard is occupied by any opponent, 
it is the tackle's duty to leave his own tackle and block this 
opponent instead. To use the language of the coaches, he 
must always "take the inside man." Thus, as a rule, the 
tackle will find that his blocking must be done in close 
proximity to the guard. 

The position of the body differs somewhat from that 
assumed by the guard, for the tackle is a man whose activ- 
ity must be much greater, and it will be better for him to 
take such a position as will make it possible for him to fol- 
low his opponent's every movement with lightning quick- 
ness. It will be better for the tackle to keep one foot slightly 
in advance of the other, letting the toe of the rear foot be 
about on a line with the heel of the forward foot. Keep 
well up on the toes, and avoid any tendency toward inertia. 
The tackle, in blocking, should be in almost continual motion. 
Follow the opponent closely, keeping well in front of him, 
and always on tip-toe, ready to start forward the instant the 
opponent attempts to go through. Expose no part of the 



116 FOOTBALL 

body as a handle which the opponent may grasp. Keep 
the head high enough to prevent his seizing it ; keep the 
arms close to the body, to prevent him from seizing them ; 
keep the chest in a position where it is not exposed to a 
blow. 

Finally, keep yourself squarely in front of the man opposed 
to you, and as close to him as possible. Watch him sharply ; 
listen for the signal, and try and get away with it ; remem- 
ber that agility is the first requisite, and never allow your 
body to rest upon your heels or flat foot when you are in 
action. 

A Few Words to the End Rush. Nothing need be 
added to the instructions already given, as the bulk of the 
blocking in the line is done by the three men playing respec- 
tively at centre, guard, and tackle. With the advance of the 
modern game the end rush is called upon to do almost no 
blocking whatever. In fact, he rarely plays in the line oppo- 
site to his opponent, and the blocking he is occasionally 
called upon to do is to assist the tackle to pocket his oppo- 
nent. This blocking is of a different class from that which 
we have been considering. It is rather more in the nature 
of running blocking, and corresponds to " riding off " in the 
game of polo. From his position in the line, the end plunges 
forward, meeting the opposing tackle with his shoulder, 
striking him as low as the hip, and endeavoring to reach him 
before he has come clear of his immediate engagement with 
his own opponent. 



CHAPTER VI 

BREAKING THROUGH 

Importance of It. The complement qf blocking is break- 
ing through. Of the same importance that blocking is to the 
side acting on the offense, breaking through is to the side 
acting on the defense. Of the two, it may fairly be claimed 
that breaking through is perhaps the more important, for in 
its highest development it is sufficient, barring accident, to 
prevent the opposing team from scoring, without which, of 
course, no game can ever be won. 

Reason for This. On the other hand, weakness in break- 
ing through is one of the surest signs of the inferiority of a 
team. The whole object in defensive play is to tackle the 
runner behind his own line, and this demands that the line y 
of the opponent shall be broken through in less time than 
the ball can be advanced. It is not enough that the runner 
shall be stopped at the, line. It may sound paradoxical, 
but if he can reach the line, he can always gain a certain dis- 
tance beyond it. It is an old adage that when the runner is 
allowed to reach the line before being tackled, he can always 
gain his five yards in three downs. 

An Indication of Spirit. Perhaps there is no single 
feature in football which calls for a truer courage and stout- 
heartedness than breaking through the opponents' line. It 
is the carrying of the war into Africa ; it is the invasion of 
the enemy's country ; it shows the courage of the player 
in the indication which it gives of his spirit. The player 
who repeatedly tackles behind his opponents' line is the one 
who cannot wait for the opponent to come to him in his 
eagerness to get at his opponent. He is the player who plays 
from a love of the game, rather than from any desire for 
personal distinction. 



118 FOOTB^UiL 

It has often been advanced as one of the arguments against 
football, that a comparatively small number of players on a 
team really play from love of the game per se. It has been 
claimed that in a majority of cases there is some other 
motive at work, — love of college, desire for notoriety, pride, 
etc. However true or false this accusation may be, there 
are men who play football from love of the game, and they 
will be found tearing through the opponents' line the instant 
the ball is put in j)lay. 

Instructions to Guard and Tackle. The rules for 
breaking through are the same for any position or any player. 
It is true that a different importance attaches to the break- 
ing through of different players, and that a greater respon- 
sibility for breaking through rests upon certain players, but 
the methods employed are substantially the same in every 
case. 

If any player could be immediately pushed through the 
opponents' line, it is probable that ^he guard would be, of all 
men, the most destructive, for he might, by his prompt arri- 
val, interfere with the passing of the quarter, which would 
be the instant jeopardizing of the enemy's entire movement, 
with the loss of at least a yard, and possibly the loss of the 
ball. It is to the tackle, however, and not to the guard, that 
we look for the greatest amount of breaking through the line. 
He should be rigidly required to go through the line on the 
defense. Any tendency on his part to wait until he can see 
where the run is to be made should be instantly suppressed. 
When he is through the line he will be called upon to do one 
of two things, according as the play is directed toward his 
side of the line, or toward the opposite side. In the former 
case, his duty is to break up the interference, and if possible 
to secure the runner. In the latter case, his duty is to follow 
the runner, and bring him down from behind. 

When not to go Through. Before beginning the ex- 
planation of the methods of breaking through, it may be well 
to point out the only case in which a green player, if he is a 
line man, should ever be coached 7iot to break through, but to 
follow the play out behind his own line. 

This one case is where he finds himself the third man from 



BREAKING THROUGH 119 

the end of the line, and some one of the opponents is sta- 
tioned outside of that end rush. In such a case as this, upon 
being notified by the end rush that an opponent has gone 
outside of his position (or whether notified or not, in case he 
perceives the situation himself), he should, after retaining 
his position long enough to repel any attempt to pierce the 
line at that point, instantly go out behind his own line, and 
beyond his own end rush, and prepare to act as the end rush 
on any second pass of the ball to the man located on the out- 
side of that end. 

He must understand that the location of an opponent out- 
side of his own end is always a menace, and, being the third 
man in the line, when any opponent has been placed beyond 
the limit of the end rush, responsibility for checking a play 
around that end devolves upon him. With this responsibility 
he is not freed, however, from a responsibility for his own 
position in the line ; but with the placing of an opponent so 
far out from the centre, the probabilities strongly point to a 
double pass or a long pass, and the third man from the end 
of the line must be the man to get the runner, and not the 
end rush, whose duty it is to go straight for the first runner. 

Discrimination between Players. With this single 
exception there is never a time when an inexperienced line 
man should be permitted to run back of his own line when 
acting on the defensive. It may be permitted sometimes to 
a veteran who thoroughly understands the game, and in whom 
this method of checking the advance of the opponents is not 
a careless tendency into which he has fallen through error. 
There are times in every game when a guard can most advan- 
tageously enter the defense by running back of his own line ; 
but never should a guard be permitted to do this until he has 
demonstrated his ability to be trusted to act upon his own 
judgment, and to know instinctively when such times arrive. 

Keep the Ball in Sight. From this slight digression 
we may now return to the subject proper, and discuss the 
different methods of breaking through the line. There are 
a variety of tactics which may be employed in breaking 
through. That one is always best which will work the quick- 
est, and at the same time make it possible not to lose sight 



120 FOOTBALL 

of the movement of the ball or the runner. It is of much 
less advantage to be through the line, if in going through 
the player has lost sight of the movement or passing of the 
ball, and is, for the instant, uncertain which opponent is the 
runner. That instant's hesitation required to locate the ball 
is fatal for the success of his operations, for the situation 
changes so quickly that it is not safe to lose sight of the ball 
for a second. 

Two Foundation Principles. The first rule, then, is to 
watch the ball, and go through the line with the ball. The 
second rule is to keep yourself entirely free from the man 
opposite to you when going through, and prevent at all haz- 
ards any attempt on his part to hold or detain you. These 
two maxims are always to be borne in mind when attempt- 
ing to break through the opponents' line. 

Best Position for the Body. The best position for 
breaking through is to keep about arm's length from your 
opponent. Make no movements unless they are made with 
some distinct intention. Remember that any motion on your 
part in any direction will naturally produce a similar motion 
on the part of your opponent ; keep this thought in mind, 
and take advantage of it at every opportunity. 

Importance of Quickness. In enumerating the methods 
of breaking through, let us first say that quickness is neces- 
sary for all of them. The position of the feet and the general 
inclination of the body should be the same as in blocking ; 
but much more than in the case of blocking should the 
player be at all times " on the edge." Watch the ball ; try 
to detect, by any slightest indication, when and where it is 
going ; break through with it if possible, and not a second 
later. 

Attention to an Opponent. It is a safe rule to lay 
down that you can afford to almost ignore the man in front 
of you. AVith a little practice you can while watching the 
ball and never for a moment taking your eyes off it still 
see your opponent out of the corner of your eye. In other 
words, it is easily possible to bring your opponent and the 
ball both into the field of your vision at the same time. We 
have already said that you should keep at about arm's dis- 



BREAKING THROUGH 121 

tance from your opponent, but if possible this arm's distance 
should be in his territory, and not in yours. Finally, go 
through with the arms well extended, so that they may be 
powerfully employed, to the end that you may not be bowled 
over by an interferer ; and lastly, go through, circling on as 
small an arc as possible, to the end that your own line shall 
not be opened up too much. 

Ten Methods of Breaking Through, (a) Strike your 
opponent on one side, as if making a feint to pass on that 
side, and dart quickly through on the other. 

(b) Play for the outside arm of your opponent. You can 
sometimes catch this arm by a spring to one side. Your 
opponent, in the very attempt to free himself, may pull you 
through. 

(c) Spring into your opponent with your arms extended, 
striking his chest a blow with both hands. The blow should 
be hard enough to start him back off his pins, or unsteady 
him, and you can then pass him on either side. 

(d) The last method assumes that your opponent shall 
expose his chest. If he plays too low for this, see if it is 
not possible to take him by the head and pull him to one 
side or the other. 

(e) Play very low yourself, with the body swung lightly 
backward, so that one hip is nearer the opponent than the 
other ; let the arms be extended, and the hands opened out 
and together, nearly reaching the ground. The instant the 
ball is in play, with a sweeping upward stroke of the ex- 
tended arms let your hands meet your opponent at about the 
height of his head. The force of the upward sweep will 
make the stroke strong enough to unsteady him, and perhaps 
make it possible for you to dart through. 

(f) Catch your opponent by the shoulders and twist him 
around, taking care not to retain your hold upon him for 
more than an instant. 

(g) Strike your opponent on the lower arm with both of 
your arms, imitating the swing of a sabre. 

(h) With both hands and extended arms strike your 
opponent on either shoulder. That shoulder will either give 
way or push forward towards you. If it gives way, its 



122 FOOTBALL 

righting power is instantly weakened, and you have the nar- 
row side of his body opposing you, instead of the broad side. 
If, on the contrary, it advances to you, you will find that he 
has exposed his outer arm. 

(i) Spring to one side, and with a sharp blow strike your 
opponent's arm down, and get through in that way. 

(j) Decide which way you wish to go, then make any 
movement which will cause your opponent to move in the 
opposite direction to the one you have already decided upon. 
Let the feint be made the instant the ball goes, and your 
dodge will usually be successful. 

Comments upon Them. We have given ten different 
methods of breaking through. All combined, however, they 
are not as valuable as is the method of studying the man in 
front of you, noting his faults, and adapting your breaking 
through in such a way as to take advantage of them. 

Vary your methods continu^^lly. Work out for yourself 
original methods of breaking through, and have a good num- 
ber of them, for all occasions and different opponents. Above 
all, watch the ball, and never take your eyes off it for a 
moment. 

Dangers of Scrapping when on the Defense. If your 
opponent takes trifling liberties with you, such as slapping 
your face, or undertaking to '^ play horse " with you in any 
way, remember that these digressions are merely made with a 
view to induce you to take your eyes off the ball and give 
your attention to him. Let all such actions merely deter- 
mine you to a closer watch upon the ball. Your opportunity 
for repaying such attentions — if, indeed, they ever need to 
be repaid — will come when your positions are reversed. 
But make up your mind early in the season that no shoul- 
dering, scrapping, or horse-play of your opponent shall ever 
induce you to ignore or relax that keen attention upon the 
ball which is absolutely indispensable to the success of 
defensive work. 

Breaking Through on a Kick. The time when the 
opponents are about to kick is one of those critical moments 
when, by a single master stroke, the game may be won or 
lost. It is of the utmost importance that the kick should be 



BEEAKING THROUGH 123 

blocked, or the kicker forced to have it down at the spot 
where he is standing. One such successful check will dis- 
courage your opponents more than a little, and the loss of 
the ground will be almost doubled in value by the loss of 
heart and spirit through the recognition of their own weak- 
ness at this vital stage. 

For such occasions, therefore, you should reserve your 
very best efforts. If you have detected a certain weakness 
in your opponent which will permit you to break through 
him with comparative ease, hold it in reserve for the moment 
when the full-back retires for a kick. To break through at 
such a time is worth any three successful attempts in ordi- 
nary scrimmage plays. Apply your power quick and hard ; 
summon all your strength for the crucial effort, and reach 
the kicker in the shortest possible space of time, springing 
high in the air, with uplifted arms, the moment you see 
that you arrive too late, and the kick is about to be effected. 
It is often possible, by thus leaping in the air, to intercept 
the ball, and do even greater injury to the opponents than 
if the kicker had been reached before he had the chance to 
get in his kick. Por the blocked ball will probably rebound 
beyond the kicker, and your own side, charging forward, 
may easily gain possession of it and carry it down the field 
for a touch-down. 

Formations which it is Unsafe to Break Through. 
In the old days, when heavy mass wedges were sometimes 
formed at a particular point in the line, the wisdom of 
breaking through was restricted, so far as the player was 
concerned at whose position the apex of the wedge was 
pointed. It was manifestly absurd to attempt to counteract 
by an onward plunge the combined force of the opposing 
mass. The player was, accordingly, coached to get as low 
as possil^le, even going down on his knees upon the ground, 
and to dive headlong between the feet of the oncoming 
players, and cause them to fall over his extended body. 
This was called •' piling up the wedge ; " and although it 
required a fearless player to make such an attack, it was one 
of the most common sights on the football field. 

Of late years the use of such a heavy wedge has been 



124 FOOTBALL 

effectually prevented by legislation, but the rules are still 
sufficiently elastic to make it possible for the formation of a 
body of men near a point in the line in such a manner that 
the attack may easily resolve itself into a solid wedge of a 
nature which it would be unwise to attempt to stop by per- 
mitting the player to go through the line in the ordinary 
way. It would be well for the player to study this point, 
and watch for every appearance of such a formation. If the 
indications are strong for a mass play at his point in the 
line, his cue will be to get lower, and at all hazards prevent 
his opponent from lifting him up as a preliminary to pushing 
him back. The instant the ball is snapped, the play will 
resolve itself sufficiently for him to ascertain whether his 
premises were correct. Should it prove to be a wedge or 
mass attack at his position, let him throw himself on the 
ground directly in front of ifc, and inclose in his outstretched 
arms all the feet and legs that he can seize ; let him be 
especially careful, however, not to throw himself on the 
ground too soon, as, in that case, the wedge may easily avoid 
or step over him. Above all, he must get very low to the 
ground, or he will surely be lifted up and carried along with 
the first onslaught of the impending mass. 

Conclusion. It is impossible to close this chapter with- 
out emphasizing once more the vital importance of aggres- 
siveness in this feature of defensive play. No more dis- 
heartening criticism can be made upon a team than to call 
attention to the fact that they invariably make their tackles 
after the opponents have reached and pierced the line. A 
courageous and aggressive policy of breaking through is one 
of the most hopeful indications in a team. It is the more 
difficult to inculcate this style of play, because the excuse is 
always ready that the play may be coming at the exact 
point in the line at which the player is standing. There is, 
of course, in all such cases, a double responsibility, — the 
responsibility of protecting his own hole, and of breaking 
through and meeting the runner. 

But while these are two separate responsibilities, they can 
never be separated in their consideration. They really be- 
long together. Each one is the true accompaniment of the 



BREAKING THROUGH 125 

other. Let the player never hesitate or hold back from any 
notion that the play may be coming at his place in the line. 
Eather let him be encouraged to go through " on the jump," 
with his eyes wide open, with attention never for a moment 
distracted from the ball, and with his arms suflB.ciently ex- 
tended to enable him to meet and resist an oncoming inter- 
ference. By such tactics he may at times overrun his man ; 
but this is a hopeful fault, compared with the weakness or 
laxity which holds him back and permits him to meet the 
runner at the line rather than tackle him in his own terri- 
tory. 



CHAPTER yil 

OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 

Interference and Shepherding. American Intercolle- 
giate football lias a monopoly of the interference principle 
as applied to the breaking of a rush-line. In Australian 
football there is such a thing as assisting the runner, but 
this "shepherding," as it is called, is in no sense like our 
methods, and it is performed almost entirely in the open. 
In fact, in the Australian game, as soon as a mass of players 
get together the referee immediately blows his whistle, and 
the ball is put down. 

Our interference is the product of the growth of many 
years. With our original adoption of the E-ugby Union 
Laws we took over the principle of " on " and " off " side, 
and for several years lived fairly close to the traditions. 

Heeling Out. The first step of variation from these tra- 
ditions we took in the heeling out of the scrimmage. In 
this we are by no means alone, for the Canadians have also 
adopted heeling out, and it is the only natural outcome and 
relief from the monotony of the old tight scrimmage, with 
its stupid pushing. But with the heeling out was involved 
the question of the rights of the rush-line after the ball had 
been heeled back. Theoretically, every one of the side 
which had heeled back the ball was " off-side," for he was in 
a scrimmage, and had placed himself, or rather been placed, 
between the ball and his opponents' goal. There was no 
escape from the conclusion that he was infringing the rule. 

But this was also true in almost any scrimmage, even if 
played in tighter fashion, for an absolute line drawn through 
the ball could hardly fail to cut off men here and there dur- 
ing the pushing. Besides, it was impossible in the tight 
scrimmage to be sure where the ball was at any moment, 



OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 127 

and frequently, as it popped out, the men were still pushing, 
so that, on the whole, it did not seem that the infringement 
would be much more heinous in the case of heeling out than 
in the older tight scrimmage. 

The Development of the Use of the Arm by For- 
wards. The men in the line could not, of course, vanish 
into thin air the moment the ball was sent behind them, but 
at first they did the next most appropriate thing. They 
stood still where they were, or tried to run down the field in 
case they expected a kick. But it was not long before they 
found how serviceable an occasional extended arm was in 
cutting off an opponent who was going through to tackle 
the runner. From this it became the custom for the rushers 
to extend their arms as far as they could when lined up for 
the scrimmage, and thus give all the protection possible to 
their runner. 

It was, however, traditionally improper to bend the arm 
at all in order to hold the opponent. Strange as it may 
seem, this tradition was lived up to for several seasons with 
a fair measure of propriety, but at last the temptation be- 
came too great, as the end to be secured seemed more im- 
portant, and there came a year when our rush-lines reached 
out and held their opponents whenever the opportunity 
offered. This would naturally, unless corrected, have speed- 
ily put an end to the sport, for there could be no satisfactory 
tackling under such license. 

Legislation against Holding. The players were them- 
selves quick to see this, and at once began to consider legis- 
lation directed towards the abuse of holding. Two or three 
informal meetings between players of prominence at the 
universities finally led to a formal meeting and a very excited 
debate upon the matter. The result was, however, satisfac- 
tory. The convention took the bull by the horns, and 
enacted that the forwards of the side which had the ball 
should not use their hands or arms to block the opponents. 

This was the first actual recognition of the distinction 
made between the side having the ball and the side trying 
to get through, and it was eminently proper that if we were 
to drift away from the strict " on " and " off " principles of 



128 FOOTBALL 

Rugby Union, we should have some idea where we were 
eventually to arrive, and, until this distinction was made, 
the future of the sport looked problematical. 

Saving the Game. The adoption of the five-yard ad- 
vance rule had already saved the sport once from utter 
extinction when the block game threatened it so seriously, 
and now in another emergency the rule makers had found a 
satisfactory solution of a hard problem. 

It was in this way that the making of holes in the line 
came to be a recognized part of American Intercollegiate 
football, and any one becoming a student of the game should 
bear in mind the origin of this part of the play, as it accounts 
for and reconciles many apparently arbitrary distinctions. 
The principle that the men between the ball and their oppo- 
nents' goal have lost their right of way is the one that explains 
the underlying thought of the laws. But we do not hold, as 
was indicated and foreshadowed when we recognized inter- 
ference, that the loss of the right of way means as much as 
the Englishman takes it to mean. He would view our inter- 
ference as atrocious off-side play, and quite properly so under 
his rules. But we, after making it legitimate to obstruct an 
opponent so long as the hands and arms were not made use 
of in the act, have gone on developing our plays along that 
line until recent momentum and mass plays have made it 
necessary to call a halt. 

This brief history shows how we have arrived at " open- 
ing holes in the line," and also how far such breaking a path 
for the runner is recognized as legitimate. 

The Hole should fit the Play. The cardinal point for 
the men making a hole in the line to bear in mind is, " What 
is the object of the hole ? " A hole may be opened merely 
to deceptively draw the quarter and a half-back over to that 
side of the line. Such a hole should be opened early, and 
as widely and with as much demonstration of force as possi- 
ble. The men who, like the quarter and half, are behind the 
line are seldom able to closely follow the course of the ball, 
and they depend more upon the appearance of the line to 
tell where the attack is being made than upon any ability 
to actually see the man with the ball. Here demonstrations 



OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 129 

like that mentioned above are often wonderfully effective in 
drawing these protecting and defensive players over to the 
wrong side of the line. 

Then, too, a hole may be opened for the purpose of dis- 
tracting the attention of the opponents from a projected 
kick. Such a hole should have plenty of openers about it, 
and in this latter case it is also practicable to make it large 
and long, because the men engaged in making it are not 
needed later in any interference, as is sometimes the case in 
a criss-cross run or double pass. 

Opening for a Plunge, and Opening for Long Inter- 
ference. Coming now to legitimate openings, there are dif- 
ferent varieties of openings necessary for different runs. The 
opening for a plunge through the line on a fake kick, where 
the half dashes through on his own side of the line, should 
be not much more than merely keeping the opponents in their 
tracks and preventing their falling or throwing themselves 
down across the opening. It is a very small hole that is 
wanted, and that only for an instant of time. 

Farthest removed from that style of opening is that re- 
quired for a " round the end " run (that is, practically, 
between the end and tackle), with the swinging interference 
that such a run entails. This opening is usually effected by 
the end and tackle boxing in the tackle while a part of the 
interference forces the end out. The opening must be a wide 
one, for anything less is likely to be choked up before the 
runner can get by. 

Time of the Opening. It is this kind of an opening 
that requires long blocking, for the runner must follow his 
interference, and should not be forced to cut loose from it 
too early in the usually vain attempt to go through alone. 
How early such an opening should be made depends upon 
the starting speed of the runner and his interference, but it 
is safe to say that the later the real opening comes, so long 
as it comes before the main interferers reach the turn, the 
better ; for it then enables the men to hem in the rush-line 
half, whereas, if the opening be made early, he will extricate 
himself in time to smash the interference before it gets well 
into the line. 



130 FOOTBALL 

What Happens when a Hole is Made at the Wrong 
Time. Interfereuce met behind the line almost invariably 
loses half its dash through lack of confidence, and goes back 
against the runner, taking the pluck out of him as well. On 
the other hand, if the interferers once fairly reach the open- 
ing, they are confident as well as strong, and the feeling that 
they have already partly gained their end often enables them 
to carry the runner well past the difficult spot. The runner 
himself seldom gets on his real swing and dash until he 
actually feels that he has reached the striking point — then 
he has every muscle tense and he makes his supreme effort. 
For all these reasons, therefore, the opening should be rather 
a trifle late than too soon. 

Opening for Tackle Run. An opening for a tackle 
coming around should be of a different character from that 
made for a running back. The inside man around whom he 
is to circle should crowd his opponent back as well as to the 
inside, while the man outside his opening may, if he be 
clever, even let his opponent through after a momentary 
blocking, provided he make him go on the outside and give 
Mm a little push onward with the shoulder as he goes by. 
The same is also true of the opening for a guard when per- 
forming a similar run. 

Opening for Mass Play. Openings for mass plays 
striking the line at guard or centre are wholly different again 
from any thus mentioned. These openings are not made 
until the push part of the play has practically lost its force. 
As long as the mass is moving forward, it is utterly bad foot- 
ball to make any opening. Progress is all that is wanted, 
and the line men in front of the mass should stick together 
shoulder to shoulder until they find themselves brought 
almost to a standstill ; then, with a final effort, they tear 
themselves apart, carrying a break into the opposing wall 
through which the runner, with the added push he is receiv- 
ing from behind and from the sides, slips, and, should he 
come clear, steps out for himself. 

An opening made before the mass has done its work 
almost invariably means an alley way for the opponents to 
reach the runner and stop him before he has gained a foot, 
and sometimes with actual loss of ground. 



OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 131 

Don't Open the Door for the Enemy to Come In. 

Don't open the door for the enemy to come in, but for the sortie 
to go out. And this leads us to another maxim that the line 
men should always bear in mind. In all mass or push plays 
the door must always open outwards. In runs by the tackle 
and guard, the door may open in, but the hinges must be on 
the outside. A door opens outward when the runner's men 
who line the opening are in opponents' territory ; it opens in- 
ward when the opponents have broken through the line, but 
are pocketed or blocked off to either side. When a team has 
thoroughly possessed itself of the idea that there must be no 
double hinge in these doors, that under no circumstances 
must the door slam back into the faces of the bunch of run- 
ners, then that team has reached a time of high development 
— the time when its greatest game should be played. 

To carry out the idea of the door in the line, let us take 
up an ordinary push play between guard and centre. Here 
imagine that the door is a double one, its two sides formed 
by the guard and centre. The play starts, the pushing mass 
crowding directly upon these two men, with the runner in a 
straight line behind the crack that will eventually become an 
opening between these two line men. Everything moves 
ahead a step or two, then, as progress becomes checked, the 
guard swings himself forward and out toward the tackle, 
the centre swings himself forward and out toward his other 
guard, and the mass of tightly packed players with the run- 
ner, and possibly the quarter at its peak, goes through the 
opening doors as they sweep aside the attacking party. 

How the Door Opens for a Tackle Run. Next, take 
the run by a tackle between the tackle and end. At the in- 
stant that the ball is put in play, the tackle on the side 
toward which the run is coming, manages to get squarely in 
front of his opponent. The chances are that that opponent 
does not desire to go inside, but has been instructed to go 
outside his man. This the tackle will have been able to dis- 
cover with a fair measure of certainty some time earlier in 
the game. If he is sure of this he can take a decided step 
outward just as the ball is put in play, protecting the inside 
course slightly by keeping his leg and thigh still in front of 



132 FOOTBALL 

his man. At the same moment the half jumps boldly for- 
ward, and to the outside of the tackle. On some teams the 
end also closes in quickly. The far half and the full-back 
make straight for the space well out, but still inside the 
opposing end. 

The door that is now opening may be imagined again as a 
double door, but it does not swing as in the push play. On 
the contrary, the outside half of it is opening in ; that is, the 
man farthest from the runner reaches the line first, and the 
man just behind him is the inside man, and between them 
they should pin the end, who at the last moment sees that 
he mi»st come in to reach the runner. The inside half of the 
door, formed by the tackle, half, and end, is opening out, 
the end being the farthest toward the opponents' goal, the 
half next, and the tackle at the hinge. This half of the door 
should pin. behind it the opposing tackle and rush-line half 
as the runner himself goes through, aiming in a diagonal line 
for the edge of the field, and only turning in after he passes 
his own end. 

We speak of this door opening in, with the hinge on the 
outside, because, as the tackle comes, the inner half of the 
door formed by the tackle, half, and end is much less mov- 
able and performs its duty satisfactorily if it merely holds 
its own, while the outer half, having only the end against it, 
appears to him as the real door, and toward that he runs, 
almost rubbing his shoulder along it as he goes through. 
It must open in, of necessity, since the end has probably so 
far advanced that he will be met inside the runner's territory. 

Classification of Openings under this Head. Almost 
all openings may be classed under one or the other of these 
two heads. Straight runs into the line are after the fashion 
of push plays, except that the door opens sharply, and be- 
fore the runner quite reaches it. " Around the end " runs 
are usually made inside the end, and the door is like that for 
the run of a tackle or guard. 

Detail of Individual Work in Making Openings. 
As for the individual work in opening holes, there is a 
chance for a great variety of detail. A player may not use his 
hands or arms, but he can use his shoulders, his head, his 



OPENING HOLES IN THE LINE 133 

neck, his hips, and his thighs, and it is only necessary for a 
skeptic to line up against a first-class guard or tackle to see 
how thoroughly an accomplished man can perform his work, 
and still make no use of hands or arms. Some men will fairly 
wind themselves about an opponent like a huge snake, while 
others will obtrude such a variety of obstacles in the shape 
of shoulders and knees as to make an insurmountable barrier 
at the proper moment. 

The usual fault and the tendency to be combated in most 
line men is that of opening the holes too early and getting 
their weight too high at the outset. The player should try 
to straighten up as he opens the hole so as to prevent the 
opponent from reaching or lunging over him, and getting at 
the runner ; to this end he should begin at a low point, and 
stiffen up rather than settle down. 

After the Runner has Gone Through. As soon as the 
opening has let the runner through, those who have made it 
should abandon it, and push from behind forward into the 
mass, or follow the runner if he has gone through singly. 



CHAPTER VIII 

INTERFERING FOR THE RUNNER 

English and American Right of Way. In the chap- 
ter upon opening holes in the line we have already given 
something of the histor/ of the growth of interference in 
the American game. In that section will be found an ex- 
planation of the " right of way," as observed in the American 
traditions. In English Rugby there is no such thing as inter- 
fering for the runner, and such an act would meet with the 
strongest disapproval of any one grounded in British beliefs 
as to off-side play. 

Aid to the Runner. In order to appreciate the Ameri- 
can methods one must begin with the premise now admitted 
in all our rulings, that it is perfectly proper, under certain 
restrictions, for a comrade to aid one of his side to get through 
the line, and to evade the attempts of the would-be tacklers. 
This assistance is usually rendered by the interposition of 
his body between the runner and his opponent or opponents. 
This assistance, as given by the line men in opening holes 
through which the runner may quickly pass, has already 
been dwelt upon at length. But it is not in the line that the 
art of interference reaches its perfection. It is rather in the 
long swinging runs out toward the end, or in the more closely 
formed mass plays hurled against a yielding spot in the oppo- 
nents' front, that one sees interference in its highest devel- 
opment. 

Theoretical Perfection. Its greatest possibilities can 
be best conceived when one realizes that, after the ball has 
been placed in the runner's hands, there are ten of his com- 
rades who have no part to play save to assist him in making 
as long a run as possible ; also, that there are but eleven 
opponents to stop him, one at least of whom (the full-back) 



INTERFERING FOR THE RUNNER 135 

is deterred by caution from entering into the attempt to 
catch the runner until that individual shall at least have 
come past the line of forwards, and started for the goal. 
And so, in an ideally perfect interference, each man of the 
runner's side should take a man. This would leave only the 
full-back to stop the runner, and it is notorious that not 
the best tackier in the world can stop a thoroughly expert 
runner and dodger, save by overtaking him from behind. 
So, in a perfectly organized interference, touch-downs should 
be the ordinary results of possession of the ball. 

Man-to-Man Interference vs. Line Interference. No 
such perfection has been reached, and yet, with the devel- 
opment of new and original plays, we are advancing toward 
the attainment of a degree of skill in this line that makes 
the study of defense indeed a hard one. Before legislation 
was passed rendering it obligatory upon a side to actually 
kick the ball into the opponents' territory at kick-off, — thus 
practically surrendering possession of it, — it was by no 
means out of the range of possibility to steadily advance the 
ball by successive methods of interference from the middle 
of the field to a touch-down. At times this was accomplished 
by a succession of short advances, again by two or three long 
runs out toward the end. Many have been the plays based 
upon the supposition that the attainment of a man-to-man 
interference mentioned at the outset of this chapter was a 
practical possibility. Probably there has never been a coach 
who has not been at times carried away with the belief that 
such an interference can be arranged. It is not for us to say 
that it cannot. But the evidence of the games of the past is 
against it. Occasional plays partaking of this method may 
be used, and used to advantage, but there is too large an ele- 
ment of chance about it to make it a good base plan for gen- 
eral development of successful interference. There are better 
foundations to be laid in other theories, and the best of these 
theories is that one which depends upon the principle of 
dividing the opponents. 

This principle can best be illustrated by supposing that a 
line of men is running across the field in a diagonal direction 
between the opponents and the man with the ball. If these 



136 FOOTBALL 

men could preserve just the right distance between each 
other, it is easy to see that it would be almost impossible for 
the opponent to reach the runner. While there are many 
off-shoots of the theory of individual man-for-man interfer- 
ence, and while it is undeniably true that there are a number 
of minor plays that can and should be executed under an 
interference based upon this principle, the theory of line 
interference offers so much more possibility of practical field 
development that we set it down unquestionably as the one 
to be adopted as a basis for the general expansion of all 
plays. 

Method of Line Interference. The first step in study- 
ing this method, in order to arrive at a thorough understand- 
ing of it and its application, is to consider the interference 
line as cutting off a certain section of the opponents' team 
from participation in the play. This is wholly different 
from the man-to-man cutting off, and it is not directed at 
certain individuals wherever they stand, but at a certain sec- 
tion of the field, and it affects, therefore, the men who chance 
to be in that section. If they stay out of that section, they 
will not be disturbed until the second movement of the play 
— the cutting off of another section of the field — com- 
mences. 

Example of Line Interference. By way of illustra- 
tion, let us take a simple run by a full-back through a space 
lying between the positions occupied by the opposing tackle 
and end. We arrange that a line of two or three men shall 
run diagonally, so that, just as the runner reaches the line, 
they may interpose between the path of that runner and the 
main body of the opponents. On the other side of him we 
may arrange for two or three other men to interpose between 
his pathway and the end rusher of the opposing line. That 
puts the case with the greatest degree of simplicity possible, 
and yet shows the entire theory of the first step in forming 
effective interference. 

Second Step. The next step is after the same order. 
We have a runner moving between two converging lines of 
men. At a certain point this protection must cease because 
the runner and his interference must move with rapidity, or 



INTERFERING FOR THE RUNNER 137 

else the opponents, with their additional Aveight, will push 
through or crowd the interference against the runner. If 
both the interference and the runner are moving at high 
speed, the runner will eventually outstrip his interference. 
In fact, that is what he is expected to do in line interference. 
The passage through which he eventually emerges is called 
the outlet. If he goes clear to the end of the alley formed 
by his two lines of interferers, the play is simple, and, though 
effective, there is nothing in it to deceive the opponents, and 
the chances are that, though the runner will gain such dis- 
tance as his interference is able to cut off for him, he will be 
met at the outlet, and there his run will come to an end. 

Final Outcome. But now let us imagine the lines of 
interference considerably prolonged, and that when the run- 
ner has gone half way down the alley the interference is 
turned at almost a right angle, and the opening thus altered 
to another point. Such a move would deceive the opponents, 
and might add another chance of the runner's emerging at 
an unexpected point, and thus adding a long run. It is 
hardly practicable to actually turn the entire line of inter- 
ference sharply, but it is possible to effect the same result 
by sending the runner through the side of it, and by making 
use of an extra man or men on the outside, practically form- 
ing a new interference as the old breaks up, and aiming that 
new interference in another direction. 

Funnel-Shaped Alleys. In all this there must be borne 
in mind the advisability of having the alleys funnel-shaped, 
that is, in both primary and secondary interference, the end 
at which the runner is expected to enter the alley should be 
broad and well-opened, narrowing down from that to a small 
point at which he eventually emerges. This not only en- 
ables him to run straight for the most unprotected point of 
his opponents' line, but also makes it more difficult for more 
than one of his opponents to follow him from behind and 
thus prevent his escape if he be slowed up. 

Combination of Primary and Secondary with Man-to- 
Man Interference. The most effective, but the most com- 
plicated in appearance of all interference, is that which, 
following out these two moves (that is, first a primary inter- 



138 FOOTBALL 

ference, whicli resolves itself into a secondary line), termi- 
nates in an ontlet at which the runner is joined by a single 
interferer who has reached that point in time to precede him 
on down the field. Of course, with this may be combined 
a man-to-man interference performed by the one or two who 
could not get into the primary or secondary interference, 
against the man or men most likely to reach the final outlet 
or to get in the later path of the runner after he emerges. 
The possible expansion of interference carried on along these 
lines is almost unlimited. 

Walking Through the Interference. To come now to 
the detail of it. With a team of veterans fairly proficient in 
the general practice of interference, new plays may sometimes 
be added without going through the drudgery of slow and 
careful performance. Unfortunately, however, for the work 
of the coach, there is seldom a team composed of all veter- 
ans, and so it is almost invariably necessary to walk through 
the plays and take up the interference gradually, accustom- 
ing each man to his position and his duty, and accommo- 
dating the speed little by little to the exigencies of the 
performers. In walking through plays especial attention 
should be paid to the precise point at which the runner 
receives the ball, and the exact position of each player at 
that moment. It will be found that that is the moment of 
time about and by which to regulate the play. 

Three Points of Measurement. There are three posi- 
tions at which a measurement can be taken to define the 
relative places of the men who act as interferers with the 
runner. The first is when the ball is put in play ; the sec- 
ond, when the runner receives it ; and the third, when the 
runner makes his break, — that is, attempts to go through 
the outlet. At the first of these three periods of the play 
there are three points for consideration : the protection of 
the quarter during his pass, the deception of the opponents 
regarding the direction, and the quick starting of the entire 
body of men used in the play. At the second period — 
when the runner receives the ball — there are two principal 
considerations : first, to render its reception secure, and with 
that is involved the question as to which side of the quarter 



INTERFERING FOR THE RUNNER 139 

or the half back certain interferers should pass ; and, sec- 
ondly, to protect the runner for a moment from behind in 
case a man shall have broken through too rapidly, and with 
this goes, naturally, protection in case of a poor pass or a 
fumble by the runner when attempting to take the ball. At 
the third period — that is, when the runner makes his break 
on his own account — there are two great considerations to 
be observed : first, how to make his opening as safe from 
obstruction by either friend or enemy as possible; and, 
secondly, how to push or drag him along in case he fails to 
come free. 

Addition of Double Passes. Having reached this stage 
in the analysis of the method of interference, we have placed 
in the coach's hands the material from which to build up all 
the necessary walls about his runner. Every play may be, 
and should be, studied by this process. 

We now come to the still more complicated problem offered 
by the addition of double or even triple passes. By this 
term " double pass " we here mean either criss-cross or 
double pass, for it is general among players to distinguish 
these two by using the term " double pass " with the mean- 
ing that the ball be passed on in the same general direction ; 
while by " criss-cross " is meant a pass whereby the ball is 
then carried by the second runner in the opposite direction, 
across the field. We have already noted that it is not prac- 
ticable to alter suddenly the direction of a moving mass of 
men, and that to alter the course of interference to good 
effect requires the addition of one or more interferers not 
involved in the first line. But in the fact that the ball may 
be passed, and thus the position of the man with the ball 
be suddenly altered, we have an opportunity of accomplish- 
ing almost an equivalent to a sudden change in the direction 
of interference. 'And herein, as will be shown by some of 
the diagrams of plays in this book, we have possibilities 
thus far only partially appreciated and little understood. 
An ordinary double pass or a criss-cross is crude when com- 
pared with the same play elaborated by secondary interfer- 
ence, the primary being used not only to protect the first 
runner, but also to thoroughly involve the enemy at a point 



140 FOOTBALL 

which suddenly becomes an unassailed point ; while, at the 
same time, the whole force of perfected interference is sent 
at the spot which is left comparatively unprotected. Add to 
this the simplicity of using the same play with a variety of 
outlets, so that the very energy of the opponents will prove 
their own undoing, and one can gather something of the 
importance of these new movements. 

Final Perfection of Interference, with Double Pass 
and Kick. Still beyond this may be placed the hitherto 
utterly neglected feature of play involved in altering by a 
kick all the momentarily existing conditions, and we come 
to a stage of perfected assault (consisting of a combination 
of primary and secondary interference rendered still more 
menacing by a double pass, and with a finally altered situa- 
tion due to the placing of the ball by means of a kick far in 
advance of the actual runner) that may well give those on 
the other side, in whose charge lies the problem of defense, 
some bad hours of consideration. When a runner breaks 
with, let us say, but three men to pass, and deliberately 
punts the ball over the head of the full-back, after approach- 
ing as near as he can with safety, he and his companions 
who are going down the field prepared for this final ma- 
noeuvre will, in many cases, have a far better chance than 
the opponents of regaining possession of the ball, and with 
that possession the coveted touch-down. 

This chapter, however, is not intended to deal with spe- 
cific plays, but rather to lead up to the development of 
such theories of interference as shall make captains and 
coaches able to plan out, not a few plays that are already 
public property, but absolutely new plays which emanate 
from their own study, and which depend for success merely 
upon their perfected execution. 



CHAPTEK IX 

KICKING 

Decline of Kicking and its Present Return to Im- 
portance. The history of American football would show, 
if followed closely, the early importance and the gradually 
increasing attention devoted to kicking, followed by a period 
in which the running game so eclipsed that branch of the 
sport and so perverted the minds of captains and players, 
that the art of punting was almost lost, followed again in 
recent years by the stead}'^ rise once more into its proper 
place of what is known as the kicking game. To-day no 
team is a really strong one that has not a thorough know- 
ledge and practical ability to play a game that combines 
both running and kicking in their highest development- 

Kicking is as essential to the success of a football team 
as batting is to a baseball nine. But, fortunately, the prob- 
lem of development is greatly simplified in the case of the 
former by the fact that a football team can almost always 
permit one of their number to do all the kicking, while a 
ball nine must let each man take his turn at the bat. 

Laxity in Educating a Team. This seeming advan- 
tage brings with it, however, a dangerous laxity in educating 
a team ; for, in order to play a game to its proper limit, the 
knowledge of the kicking principles should be instilled into 
the whole eleven, and this is usually ignored except in the 
case of the ends and the full-back. Even here there is often 
a deal of inexcusable ignorance. For instance, many a full- 
back will, when his line has held well and his opponents are 
slow in getting through, exert himself to kick quickly and 
hurry his kick, when he ought to know that for every 
second he can hold back his drive, and still be sure of 
getting it in, his ends are making yards, and his opposing 



142 FOOTBALL 

backs getting less chance to handle the ball. There is 
nothing so disconcerting to the opponents as this unex- 
pected change in time, and a full-back who can not only kick 
quickly when necessary, but who has also the ability to hold 
his kick safely and then let it go with a hard, clean, well- 
placed drive, will so save his ends and rattle the opposing 
backs that he will add twenty-five, or even fifty, per cent, to 
his team's chances of success. 

Blocking for a Kick. The forwards often lose sight of 
this point, and the coaches encourage them to lose sight of it 
by indiscriminate urging to "block first a second, and then 
go down the field." The best coaches do not want a slow, 
heavy centre and " ice wagon " guards shaking themselves 
to pieces and jarring their strength out, in hurrying to try 
to play the game of an end. If a team has a guard who is 
fast on his feet, by all means give him a chance to go down 
under a kick, and let the quarter block his man for him ; but 
if a tackle, even, is too ponderous to be down quickly, let 
him block long instead of making a futile attempt to follow 
the example of tackles " who beat the ends " down the field. 
The far side can go down and the near side block ; even an 
end on the near side may block, if the game is properly 
played by the other side of the line, and the play is sufii- 
ciently practised ; but this is a part of the kicking develop- 
ment that will be better understood as coaches realize its 
value. 

Who shall do the Punting ? To return to the full- 
back and his specialty of punting. Of course it is understood 
that in speaking of the full-back as the kicker of the team it 
is not meant that the man playing the middle position of 
the three backs is the onl}^ kicker on the team. The practice 
of lining up is proverbially slow, and as no actual restric- 
tion is placed upon the length of time that a centre may 
wait while his team takes up their positions, any man may 
be used to do the punting. In fact, on one very good team, 
that made a most enviable record, it was one of the tackles 
who did all the punting. True, the team was not first-class, 
because no team could be that was obliged always to indi- 
cate their intention of kicking, but the fact will serve to 



KICKING 143 

show that certainly any one of the three backs may do the 
punting, and it is often by no means a mistake to mystify 
the opponents somewhat on this point. 

How to Learn to Kick. As stated elsewhere in this 
book, it is supposed that by the time any man reaches the 
point of trying for a full-back position on a 'Varsity team, 
he has had a year or two of kicking practice. But in this 
chapter we propose to begin at the very beginning of the 
subject, in order that any man who has never hit a football 
with his foot may learn to kick by a reasonable attention to 
instructions, — provided he possess ordinary capacity and 
has his muscular system under control. The first step in 
the instruction of a candidate for kicking, however, is to 
give him a ball and tell him to put it on the ground and then 
kick it around the field. He should do this for a consider- 
able time, as often as twice a day for a week, before he 
undertakes a punt. The object of this is to let him find out 
where his foot is, before giving him a chance to hurt himself 
by kicking at the ball and missing it. The reason why 
many men fail absolutely in kicking is because they are not 
natural kickers ; they have grown up with no experience of 
this kind, and at the outset are allowed to try punting with- 
out preliminary practice of locating the foot and ball. The 
result is that all the man's awkwardness in his first attempts 
becomes crystallized into hopelessly bad form, and, while by 
sheer brute force and persistency he may in time be able to 
kick thirty-five or forty yards, he is erratic in performance, 
unsteady in aim, and, if he be called upon in a game, a 
source of demoralizing anxiety to the rest of the team. 

After the First Week. Having passed a week in chas- 
ing the ball about, and kicking it, the beginner may for the 
first time take the leather egg up into his hands. Now let 
him for a few days stand out from the goal posts, or a simi- 
lar mark, a distance of not more than fifteen yards, and 
punt at the mark, never kicking the ball hard, but trying 
to hit it squarely with the instep upon the point of the ball. 
The ball may be dropped with both hands, and with one 
hand, alternately, in order that later the kicker may adopt 
either style. But the chief point to be observed is to 



144 FOOTBALL 

acquire the ability to hit the ball with the instep of the 
foot squarely on its point, and in the line of its axis. The 
kicker must not leave this simple easy practice until he can 
thus strike the ball every time, and that, too, with accuracy 
of aim. 

Kicking on the Run. Then he may begin a new ex- 
ercise. Up to this point he has kicked the ball while stand- 
ing still. Now he may take a run and kick it while on the 
run, tossing it a little to the side and not directly in front 
of him. At first he will almost stop or else hit the ball 
inaccurately, but soon he will find that his eye and foot 
understand each other, and he can reach the ball and hit it 
squarely, although he may have thrown it a little too far 
out or a little too near. 

Increasing Distance and Improving Direction. By 
a few weeks' careful preparation along these lines we have 
a man broken in to an easy assurance of aim in swinging his 
foot before he begins to make those hard and violent efforts 
to drive the ball that will result in fixing permanently any 
clumsy motions and bad faults. He has not yet tried to 
kick over fifteen or twenty yards, but he may now begin to 
increase the distance. With this extension, ho'wever, the 
coach should include practice to acquire a better idea of ele- 
vation. Placing the man at the twenty-yard line, let him 
punt first between the bar and the ground. That is, let the 
ball pass under the bar and strike the ground behind the 
goal line. Then let him send the ball over the bar but 
below the tops of the posts, and finally let him punt the 
ball well up in the air, making it fall as nearly on the goal 
bar as possible. After two days at the twenty-yard line, 
place him at the twenty-five-yard line for a similar series of 
kicks. Then, instead of placing him at the thirty-yard 
line, put him on the fifteen-yard line again, but half way out 
toward touch. Then let him take the twenty and twenty- 
five-yard lines at a similar distance out, and after that place 
him once more at fifteen, but on the extreme edge of the 
field. Erom this take him once more to twenty and twenty- 
five yards. 

Accuracy and Trick Kicks. By this time the coach 



I 



KICKING 145 

will find that his punter, although he has never kicked any 
greater distance than from the junction of the twenty-five- 
yard and touch line over the goal, is yet able to put the ball 
within these limits with tolerable accuracy, and, what is 
more, he does not make any slip kicks. It would not be a 
bad thing for any man who has the time before him to keep 
at this point during his entire first year of punting. ISTatu- 
rally the development from this stage into regular distance 
punting is perfectly simple, and needs no especial attention, 
but a man will do it all the better if he takes more time to 
it. Then there comes the higher stages of kicking skill, the 
drop-kick, the twister, the corkscrew, the sailing kick, and 
the shoot, as well as place kicking. The place-kick and 
drop-kick deserve especial paragraphs, but the others are 
merely tricks to be acquired by practice, and, while very 
serviceable at times, are never to be too greatly relied upon 
in close quarters or with a wet ball or slippery field. 

Place Kicking and Goal Kicking. The gradual prac- 
tice advocated for the beginner in punting can be advan- 
tageously followed up with drop kicking and place kicking. 
The time at which to begin these two is not until the player 
reaches the stage of comparative facility in punting from 
any point along the twenty-yard line. Then he may begin 
place kicking and use it as a kind of relaxation from his 
punting. At the outset he should merely make a little nick 
in the ground with his heel, and by setting the point of the 
ball in this depression it can be placed securely at any angle 
desired. He should begin with the ball well " cocked up," 
that is, standing nearly on end, with the farther end tipping 
slightly toward the goal. In kicking he should take a couple 
of steps, and coming squarely upon the standing foot (that 
is, the one upon which he stands in delivering the kick, — 
the left, in the case of a right-footed kicker, the right in the 
case of a left-footed kicker), give an easy swing with the 
other leg, meeting the ball with the toe a couple of inches 
from the ground, taking care that the ball and foot are in 
line with the centre of the goal. After some practice in 
this manner he may tilt the ball the other way, that is, 
toward him instead of toward the goal. Later, in his long- 



146 FOOTBALL 

distance kicking, he may place the ball almost level on the 
ground when a kick of half the length of the field is to be 
made. Hickok, of Yale, could easily kick the ball over half 
the length of the held from this position. 

Close Kicks. The nearer the ball is to the goal, the 
more it should be ^^ cocked up " for the kick, that it may go 
up into the air more rapidly from this angle. One of the 
most certain methods of goal kicking is to stand upon the 
left foot, with that foot by the side of the ball and almost 
even with it, then witl^ a simple swing of the other leg the 
ball is lifted over the goal. This kick is not available for 
distance kicking, but is a very certain method when used 
by a man who has practised it for converting touch-downs 
made behind the goal into goals. 

It is safer not to have the same man do all kinds of place 
kicking for the team, although in developing the men prac- 
tice in all lines is distinctly advisable. Let one or two men 
be taught this short kick, and if a touch-down be secured 
directly behind the goal, call upon the short kicker to con- 
vert it. On the other hand, if the touch-down be at the 
side, or if any place-kick of distance be indicated, the short 
kicker should give place to the man who is trained especially 
for the longer drive. 

Holding the Ball. Thus far, we have said nothing about 
the man who holds the ball for a place-kick. Probably four 
out of five missed goals are missed by the lack of coordina- 
tion between the man who holds the ball and the kicker, and 
three out of five are the fault of the placer. It is by no 
means an easy task to place the ball on the ground quickly 
and lightly and without any variation in its aim or its posi- 
tion. It must be done at the word of the kicker, and above 
all without apparent motion. The ball is held in the hands 
of the placer, or rather by his finger-tips, and within the 
smallest possible safe distance from the ground. The most 
approved method is to place the forefinger and second finger 
of the hand on the top of the ball at the upper part of the 
end of the lacing. The other hand holds the ball in the 
fingers the same distance from the middle point (but back 
toward the kicker) as the upper hand is from the middle. 



KICKING 147 

That is, one hand is a little nearer the point of the ball than 
a median line, and the other hand a little nearer the butt or 
end that is to be placed on the ground than the median line. 

The ball is then aimed under the direction of the kicker 
by such verbal instructions as " lacing away from you," 
" lacing toward you," "point away from you," "point toward 
you," " cock it up," " don't cock it up so much," and the like, 
until it points directly in the desired manner — allowance 
being made for the wind and the condition of the ball. Then 
the kicker says very quickly, " Steady," and follows it in- 
stantly with " down," as he takes his step, — or, in case of 
the short kick, he watches the ball as he says " down," and 
kicks instantly when he sees it placed, — and meeting it con- 
Mently with a straight foot he drives it over. The placer 
in putting the ball on the ground rests its point, and, with- 
drawing his under hand, steadies the ball with the fingers of 
the upper hand, never taking them off, but allowing the ball 
to be kicked out from under them. 

Ball Affected by "Weather Conditions. There are many 
variations of holding the ball, and some placers find changes 
from the above more convenient for their individual pecul- 
iarities. Place kicking should be especially practised in all 
conditions of wind and weather, in order that the kicker 
may acquire accuracy as well as confidence. He will dis- 
cover that a wet and soggy ball must be cocked up more 
than a dry one — that a new ball should also be well pointed 
up as it travels low and fast, and the wind does not lift it as 
much as it does a ball that has grown round and old. He 
will also learn that it is best to do his practising with two 
different balls, — one practically new, and the other a ball 
that has been used through one day of practice. He should 
never waste his time upon a really old ball, as he will never 
be called upon in a game to kick such a ball. Should a 
touch-down be secured in the first five minutes, for instance, 
the ball is as new as when the referee blew his whistle, but 
a touch-down during the last five minutes gives him a ball 
that has altered in shape not a little, and which does not 
travel so sharply into the wind. The points to be noted, and 
which the kicker will be the better for learning, are that he 



1 48 FOOTBALL 

iniist establish a thorough sympathy witli his placer, and 
that he should never become impatient or hurried in giving 
his instructions. Moreover, if he sees that the placer is ner- 
vous or shaky in his hands, he should stop and tell him to 
take the ball up and wait until he steadies down. There is 
no need of haste, as the time is taken out. The placer him- 
self should also feel at liberty to stop and take a rest if he 
finds his hands becoming unsteady. 

If ever there is a time when dependence must be placed 
upon calm, collected steadiness, it is when a touch-down is 
being converted into a goal, and the frequent failures to kick 
goals that we see every season are, many of them, inexcusa- 
ble. One of the most common errors that is seen in place 
kicking is that of endeavoring to allow for the wind by the 
aim of either the foot or the ball alone. The ball is, for exam- 
ple, aimed well off toward the side from which the wind is 
coming, but the kicker kicks straight at the goal. This is the 
usual fault. Less common, but still not infrequently wit- 
nessed, is the mistake of aiming the ball at the goal and 
then kicking off toward the wind. The only way to kick a 
goal properly when allowing for a wind is to bear in mind 
that the foot must hit the ball in a line with the long axis ; 
in other words, a line drawn from the heel of the kicker's 
foot straight through the middle of the sole of his shoe 
should, when continued, pass directly through the middle 
of the ball, so far as any side to side variation is concerned. 

Another thing to be borne in mind, when kicking in a hard 
wind, is that there should be more force put into the kick. 
The harder the ball is driven, the less the wind will swing 
it, and a light kick will not only be swerved from its direc- 
tion more easily, but will often, on account of meeting with 
that resistance, sail off and fall short of the goal. This, of 
course, applies to side winds as well as to head winds. When 
the wind is a following one, pains must be taken to cock the 
ball up well, especially on short kicks, for a new ball with a 
wind behind it goes low — unexpectedly low at times. 

Punting Out. As to punting out to gain better position, 
it is not worth while to do this unless the touch-down be well 
over on the side. A good place kicker can readily enough 



KICKING 149 

convert all other touch-downs into goals without the interpo- 
sition of the punter out. When the touch-down is unsatis- 
factory, however, either from its position near the edge or 
because the wind makes the kick a difficult one, the punt-out 
is demanded. If properly practised there never should be 
a failure in this part of the programme. The punter has 
every privilege allowed him, and has only to punt the ball 
with moderate accuracy and the catcher does the rest. For 
a short punt-out he may find it advisable to hold the ball 
with both hands by the ends and kick it on the side. This 
is, however, the only time when a ball should be kicked in 
this way. In fact, even here an expert punter will send the 
ball quite as accurately with the ordinary end kick. The 
rushers of the catcher's side should line up in front of him 
so as to protect him from the charge of the opponents, while 
his quarter and remaining back should take up positions by 
the side of and behind him in order to catch the ball if the 
kicker sends it wide. 

Drop Kicking. To come to the drop-kick, that prettiest 
of all kicks, and the most fascinating to the man who once 
acquires skill in it, the kicker will find that beside it the 
place-kick, and especially the punt, become drudgery; and 
that is one reason why it is necessary to keep the backs at 
work on punting rather than drop kicking. Drop kicking is 
rarely employed. In the ordinary kicks of the game the 
full-back has no time for a drop-kick unless he stands back 
so far as to materially shorten the distance gained, and so 
lose the value of the kick. Thus drop-kicks are only em- 
ployed when near enough to the opponents' goal to render 
scoring possible. The practice of drop kicking should, as 
stated above, not begin until a fair mastering of punting has 
been acquired. Then let the kicker try drop kicking. 

Handling the Ball. To begin, the ball is held either 
in one or both hands, and it is Avell here, too, to practise at 
the start both methods. If the ball be held in one hand, let 
the point of the ball rest easily in that hand, which is made 
into a sort of cup for it. Let it be dropped by taking the hand 
gently but quickly out from under it, so that the ball falls 
without turning and strikes the ground in exactly the same 



i.jO football 

position ill which it was resting on the extended hand. At 
the very instant it rises from the ground — in fact, just as its 
spring is coming — it is met with the toe of the foot, and the 
drop-kick is accomplished. In hokling the ball with both 
hands, it is held by the sides with the point toward the 
ground. The ball may be dropped in any one of three ways, 
and yet be driven exactly the same by the foot. It may be 
dropped with the long axis vertical, or with the upper point 
of the ball inclined slightly toward the goal, or with that 
point inclined toward the kicker. It seems to make little 
difference in the matter of strength or accuracy of the kick, 
although it is true that there are fewer slip kicks made by 
those who incline the ball toward themselves. 

Kicking as in a Game. In all kinds of punting and 
drop kicking much of the practice should consist of kicking 
after receiving the ball from the quarter, and while one or 
more men rush forward and endeavor to block the kick. As 
a boy cannot learn to swim without going into the water, 
so no man learns to kick properly, in a manner to be of ser- 
vice in the game, unless he kicks under the conditions that 
prevail during an actual match. We have too many men 
who can kick fifty yards when they have everything in their 
favor and no opponent, and altogether too few who can punt 
forty-five when an opposing line is coming through on them. 
Especially should attention be devoted to the side swing, for 
with it a full-back is almost always sure to get in his kick 
unless two men together get through on him, while with the 
ordinary straight ahead kick he cannot dodge the first man, if 
one gets through. 



CHAPTEE X 

TEAM PLAY 

Breadth of the Term. In discussion of team play, it 
has almost invariably been assumed that the maximum devel- 
opment of that characteristic of the game is attained when 
eleven men play together as a unit. Unfortunately for cap- 
tain and coach, this assumption fails to cover the case ade- 
quately. Primarily, such attainment presupposes the pres- 
ence of the same eleven men through many days and weeks 
of practice. This not the most lucky coach can ever hope 
for, or, if he hopes for it, he is doomed to disappointment, 
and by a succession of such disappointments he becomes 
wise enough to admit, at least to himself, that he must plan 
beyond the point laid down in the books. He must make 
twenty men play as a unit, or rather fit twenty or more men 
so that any eleven of them, selected by himself or by the 
hand of a stern Pate, may show signs of having acted m con- 
cert upon former occasions. 

When Team Play Begins. To reach, then, the real 
bottom of team play, one must begin at the selection of the 
candidates at the very outset of the season. The usual 
formula recited by the uninitiate is that team play does not 
begin until late in the season. Strictly the '' play " part does 
not, or at least it does not come into prominence or even 
evidence until then. But the coach who is responsible for it 
must take up that branch of the play when the crowd of 
motley candidates first appears upon the field in the early 

fall. 

The reason for this is not a far-fetched one, but after a few 
seasons appears too real. It is that the positions vary greatly 
in their demand for material. To state the ideal numbers for 
each position is, perhaps, to set too arbitrary a requirement 



152 FOOTBALL 

before the coach, but it may serve as a pattern or guide 
which will aid him materially. There should be four cen- 
tres, six guards, six tackles, eight ends, four quarters, and 
twelve backs, of whom six should be punters. That gives us 
the quota of forty men who represent a serviceable football 
squad. In the larger colleges and universities the number is 
usually doubled during the first quarter of the season, and 
sometimes during more than half the season, but if team play 
is to be successful the time when the candidates reach forty 
should see them approximately thus divided. 

Actual Numbers for Each Position. Perhaps the im- 
portance of this plan cannot be better brought out than by a 
larief illustration. Take, for instance, the statement that 
there should be eight ends in the early part of the season. 
Why more ends than tackles, and what has the actual num- 
ber of candidates for any one position to do with team play ? 
Aside from any question of the number likely to be injured 
during the season, which is more or less guesswork, there is 
a most solid and convincing argument to show that eight 
ends are required. Primarily, there are two wanted for the 
first, and two for the second eleven to fill up the regular 
numbers. The four extra men are made use of to teach the 
hacks hoiv to kick, or rather to keep them up to form in punt- 
ing, and also to make the tackles j>^"operly jperfovm, their ivork. 

The Ends. It is all simple enough Avhen one considers 
what the faults are that backs and tackles surely j)ick up, 
and that hurt the team play most seriously. The back has 
been practising punting more or less during the late summer, 
and from the very fact that he is a candidate for the position, 
one can conclude that he is a fair kicker. The first days of 
practice come, and the ends are not, of course, in really first- 
class condition, so that, naturally, after running down the 
field a few times under the punting of the back, they " go 
slow." The back sees this and does not kick so far, because 
he fears the opposing full will run the ball back behind in- 
terference, and make a good gain. Within a short time the 
full-back has actually reduced his kicking in point of dis- 
tance to correspond to the inferior work of tired ends. To 
prevent this, we put in the first set of ends and tell them 



TEAM PLAY 153 

that they viast get down under the kick, if it takes all their 
Avind out of them in five minutes, and just as soon as a man 
goes a bit slow we put in one of the fresh ends. With four 
of them we can keep constantly changing, and the back has 
to keep his kicking extended, and cannot use as an excuse 
for a short kick the fact that the ends did not get down 
under his former one. 

Effect on Tackles. As to the way the same fault affects 
the tackles. With the work of getting down the field un- 
der kicks and general play, an end is kept busy enough so 
that, if tired, he begins to let the tackle do work out toward 
the end which spoils the tackle for his proper play. For in- 
stance, a tackle breaks through sharply, and the runner goes 
by him out toward the end, but not very wide ; that is, the 
runner swings in sharply after passing the tackle. A tired 
or lazy end, moving slowly, is caught by the interference, 
and the runner gets a good gain before being brought down 
by the half-back. This disgusts the tackle, as he knows that 
every one thinks it was his fault that the man got by, and 
after a few such plays — where really the tackle is doing 
exactly what he should, and the whole fault lies in the 
end being too slow, lazy, or tired — the tackle does not go 
through hard and fast, but moves out as he sees the inter- 
ference going, and really becomes a second end instead of a 
tackle. E-easoning, then, upon this basis, we make the end 
play his position up to its limit every moment that he stays 
in the game, and as soon as he slows up we replace him with 
a fresh man. In this way we establish a strict standard of 
work for the full-back and tackle to live up to, instead 
of allowing them to deteriorate or take on bad habits on 
account of the weakness early in the season of that important 
player, the end. 

This particular position, and its effects upon two at least 
of the other positions, has been discussed at length in order 
that a clear idea might be gained of the points involved at 
the very outset, in bringing about eventual team play of a 
high grade. It is unnecessary to do more than note briefly 
in passing the reason for the other numbers given above. 

Tackles and Guards. While the tackles must be fresh 



154 FOOTBALL 

and active always, the distances tliey travel upon kicks are 
shortened by the necessity of temporarily blocking their men, 
so that their wind is not quite so fiercely taxed as is an 
end's. Still more, they are in this respect secondary men 
at the best, and the fact that a tackle failed to get down 
quickly under a kick would never lead to a full-back's short- 
ening his distance or waiting. The same may be said of a 
guard, except that the increased opportunity of quietly loaf- 
ing that is extended to men cramped up in the centre makes 
it imperative that the tiompetition for the places should be 
very keen. Were it not for this, four guards would be 
enough. The centre is in proportion better supplied with 
four men than the guards or tackles with six, for it takes but 
one centre to two guards or two tackles to form a team. But 
the centre man must learn to get out into the play, and that, 
for a heavy man, takes wind and endurance, and when the 
heavy man gets tired, he stops and stands around, letting his 
quarter and guards do too much, and thus altering what 
should be a normal proportion of work. 

The Quarter in Team Play. Four quarters are the 
equivalent of eight ends, and are necessary on account of the 
importance of getting the quarter out into the interference. 
This is exhausting, and as soon as the quarter slows up, he 
should, like the end, be replaced by a fresh man. If he is 
not, then the interference slows up to let him get in his 
place, the runner slows up to let his interference reach the 
line, and there is not a man in the whole combination who 
does not begin to retrograde. And yet in late season, when 
the team is meeting strong opponents, no one can tell what 
is the matter with the interference ! 

The Number of Backs Necessary. Finally, the reason 
for the twelve backs is easily apparent to any one who has 
tried to take a team through a season. It is not necessary 
that more than half of the number should be punters, as one 
can generally count upon using two running backs to one 
kicking back. But the running backs get far more to do on 
the defensive, and hence are more liable to injury. 

Team Play Begins with the Guard's Position. After, 
then, making an attempt, in the very earliest selection of 



TEAM PLAY 155 

candidates, to secure approximately the above proportions 
(and if the first quota varies greatly from this, to adapt and 
shift the men about early, so as to conform in as short a 
space of time as practicable to these numbers), the coach is 
ready to consider what may be done toward team play, while 
the real work is still largely individual. At the risk of ex- 
citing some controversy, perhaps, but with a thorough con- . 
viction that in the long run the statement will be found 
correct, let it be said that team work on the offensive should 
start with the guard's position. The general method has 
been to begin offensive team play with a number of inter- 
ferers massing out for a run at the tackle hole or around the 
end. The effect of this beginning is always to delay the 
practice of genuine team play until after the ordinary 
straight runs have been used for some days and weeks ; then 
the interference must all be begun by really a retrograde 
movement in point of speed. That is, in order to get the 
interference into form, the plays are almost walked through, 
or at best gone through at but half speed. 

Proper Sequences. But with the proper beginning and 
a proper sequence of work, this element of slowness can be 
largely avoided, and, best of all, team play, though not of a 
marked character, may be initiated at the very outset of the 
season. It may reasonably be demanded of a properly trained 
guard that he shall be the first man to get off for the point 
to be assaulted. His earlier duty is that of blocking his man 
and getting away. He must block long enough to save his 
quarter, but that occupies an almost infinitesimal moment of 
time. His next study is on which side of the quarter to pass, 
and this depends wholly upon the immediate play. In a 
majority of cases he goes between the centre-rush and the 
quarter, but there are many plays upon the making of which 
he should go behind the quarter. 

This play of the guard is the initial step toward offensive 
team play, and should be drilled into the candidates from the 
very start. There is a notion prevalent that to have the 
guard begin early to learn to get out into the interference 
hurts his blocking. This is erroneous, even in its theory ; 
still more in its practice. The guards who make the real 



156 FOOTBALL 

successes of the year are not only strong in interference, but 
never let their quarters suffer by the breaking through of an 
opponent. The very fact of the necessity of getting clear of 
his opponent rapidl}'' spurs the guard to increased study of 
the possibilities of ingenious methods for keeping the oppo- 
nent safe and out of reach of the play. 

Second Step in Team Offense. The next step in team 
offense is to get the quarter out into the interference, or, in 
the cases where he is to follow later, to render him service- 
able to the play in eit^ier making it safe, or adding the ne- 
cessary push. This is not such a task as teaching the guard, 
but it should be begun early in the season, or a team will 
find that when the quarter endeavors to take it up he has 
become accustomed to passing from a standstill, and is there- 
fore " off " in his passing because he has a new and addi- 
tional duty to think of. At first the quarter may make bad 
work of the attempt to do two things at once, but he must 
be encouraged and judiciously criticised until he can land the 
ball with accuracy every time while he starts off " on the 
jump " himself for his proper position in the play. 

The Farther Out the Attack, the Stronger it is. 
Having thus attended to the guard and quarter, it will be 
found that the nucleus around which is to be built a strong, 
speedy interference has come almost of itself. There is no 
great amount of hurry about adding to this pair until the 
general play has progressed for ten days or two weeks. Then 
it is time to find out the relative speeds of the men behind 
the line, and this first pair of interferers. By various trials 
of different plays it will be learned that the farther out is 
the assaulted point the greater is the possibility of really 
serious attack, and if a coach has the good fortune to bring 
into a final game his very pick of fast men working well to- 
gether, a single long interference at the end may give him a 
commanding gain, even perhaps a touch-down. For this 
reason he must be satisfied to work slowly, steadily, and 
patiently toward bringing off a formed interference that shall 
grow more and more severe as it swings into shape at the 
end of the line and circles for the critical point. 

Men in a Complete Interference. Such an interfer- 



TEAM PLAY 157 

ence, to be perfect, should carry a guard, quarter, and one 
back, with the runner, around the peak. One of these three 
goes over or out in making sure that the last man of the 
enemy's extended line dies without a chance of following. 
The extra men who, beside the above, assist in the long inter- 
ference may be the far end and the third back. Thus we 
shall have in a complete interference the quarter, guard, two 
backs, and an end. (This chapter will not deal with the 
plays themselves, but a reference to other chapters of the 
work will show the exact position of the individual players 
in the execution of various kinds of interference.) 

How Line Men should 'Work. The next step in the 
general training for offensive team play is the blocking of 
the line men. Katurally, this is a part of the individual 
department as well, but it is so necessary to the develop- 
ment of team play that it requires a few words under this 
head. 

Ordinary blocking consists of merely preventing the oppo- 
nent from getting through and spoiling the play. Blocking 
in the team sense adds the feature of getting the opponent 
into the most unfortunate position possible, so far as his 
hopes of taking any part in the subsequent stopping of the 
runner is concerned. For example, it is far better to get an 
opponent moving in the opposite direction from that he 
eventually finds he should have taken, than to merely hold 
him in his position, for in the first case he also interferes 
with his own men, who may have diagnosed the play better 
than himself. This is the underlying principle of team 
play in blocking — to make the opponent actually help in 
the interference. 

Next, the forwards should be ever ready in case of emer- 
gency to take hold of their own runner and drag him forward. 
In almost all line plays there comes a moment when, before 
the runner has gone down, he is so situated with regard to one 
of his own rushers as to make it possible for that rusher to 
give him a pull of several feet, perhaps even yards. It has 
often happened, on account of this unexpected variety of 
assistance, that a runner is not only helped along, but even 
shaken free and put securely on his feet again for a run. 



lo« FOOTBALL 

Aside iroiii this added gain, it is the part of the forwards to 
always give their backs physical assistance in getting on 
their feet when the play has to be particularly continuous in 
point of repeated plunges by these three men. With this 
help, and the moral force of such encouragement, three good 
backs can smash a stout line for fifteen minutes at a stretch, 
before they lose their dash. 

Final Aid to the Runner. The assistance to be ren- 
dered by pushing a runner after he strikes the line is of late 
years well understood, and almost all teams put it in active 
practice. There is no reason why this should not be incul- 
cated early in the season, for it does not in any way inter- 
fere with individual development. It is a matter of skill, 
too, more largely than is generally supposed. A runner, for 
instance, pushed from the hips and in a line with his direc- 
tion, keeps his feet well, gains greatly in momentum, and can 
keep his eyes open for chances. A runner pushed above the 
hips, or not in the line in which he is going, is likely to be 
upset, and may, in trying to save himself, fumble the ball. 
The strangeness of being pushed often causes a runner at 
first to object, to say that it bothers him, and that he can do 
better without it, but after becoming accustomed to it he 
always finds the value of it. The most successful example 
of this added force is usually exhibited in the case of a good 
end and tackle working together on a tackle run. The drive 
of this pair when they come swinging at a line low and hard 
is a bad thing to face. 

Importance of Rapid Lining Up for Successful Team 
Play. While it is hopeless to attempt rapid play during 
the first few days, the coach who expects to develop team 
play must not let more than a week or ten days go by before 
he begins work upon the subject of lining up quickly. There 
can be no team play on the offense or defense if there be a 
laggard on the line. Every man must jump for his place as 
soon as the referee has called the ball down ; in fact, as will be 
seen later, on sequences of plays, when the ball is in posses- 
sion of his own side, there may be times when a man must 
get in place when he sees his runner coming down. 

How to Hurry the Play. One of the best methods of 



TEAM PLAY 159 

liurrying the play early in the season is to take the centre men 
aside before beginning the practice, and tell them privately 
that you want them to see how fast they can drive the team, 
and that for the first ten minutes you want them to jump 
for the ball the moment it is down. Then tell the quarters 
the same thing, only in addition, that they shall give the 
signal on the run for the line-up, no matter whether it is a 
good play or not. If the ends are slow, let the quarter work 
in a kick on the first down several times. If the guards are 
slow in lining up, let him give straight line bucking by a 
half. . 

Defensive Team Play. Defensive team play should be 
begun by instructing some pair of men to help each other 
out in word and act. For example, take the guard and 
tackle. Tell each separately the strength and weakness of 
the other, and then explain how they must aid one another 
by supplemental work. If they have good heads they will 
take it up readily. There should be no loud calling out of 
what the opponents are likely to do. That sort of work often 
does more harm than good. But a general caution, such as 
" Look out for a fake ! '' or something of that kind, is all 
right. Especially should the two men learn that they are 
responsible for results, — not merely for their acts, but what 
comes from those acts ! This brings about unselfish team 
play and does away with the host of excuses. The relations 
of the various positions, one toward the other, are described 
in another chapter. 

Backs on Defense. Defensive play by the backs in team 
work should be practised on the regular field of play and 
also in the kicking practice. One of the best theories is 
that of the formation of a triangle by three men whenever 
a kick is to be caught. This triangle is, of course, a very 
loose arrangement and subject to much modification, but 
whenever the kick is high enough, or there is time, two men 
should eventually reach the proximity of the man catching 
the ball in time to be of service to him in interfering or in 
saving a muff or fumble. 

Field Divisible into Two Halves. The various arrange- 
ments for defensive team play are treated of in other chap- 



1 60 FOOTBALL 

ters. Here it is enough to say that team play demands a 
defense that depends as little as possible upon any fixed 
formations of the opponents. Eleven men are too cumber- 
some a body to be handled in a minute and rearranged by a 
word, while the opponents are ready for action. The most 
that should be attempted are the changes incident to a 
probable kick and the few minor movements in the line-up, 
such as a line man crossing over when the play is crowded 
against the edge of the field. Each line man in defense 
should, in his mind, ^livide the field into two halves by a 
line drawn through the ball, and should think of his half as 
either facuif/ the rii7i7ier ichile the other half imraiie Jiim, ov 
jyiirsiilng him while the oilier half front him. Many an 
up-to-that-point unsatisfactory line man has become a good 
one when he once had this picture clearly in mind. The 
half of the line before the runner — end, tackle, and guard 
— slow up the play by their assaults upon it, while the half 
of the line behind the runner chase him and take advan- 
tage of that slowing-up by their comrades in front to over- 
take the play. 

Working a Man Through. For the three centre men, 
and occasionally the quarter, there is a special line of team 
play on the defense based upon the principle of getting one 
man at least through absolutely unobstructed. Sometimes 
the two guards help the centre through, sometimes a centre 
and a guard open up for the quarter, sometimes all stretch 
the opposing line as far out as it will stand and every one 
takes his chance. No matter how it is done, it should be 
distinctly understood by each man just which one of the 
methods is to be used. For this reason one man of this 
body of four who has the best judgment should always give 
the signal as to which method to use. 

Mutual Assistance without Sacrifice of Individual 
Skill. Generally, team play should be taken to include also 
all the smaller, finer points of mutual assistance, and this 
may be best developed by frequent meetings, talks, and free 
discussions. In fact, the great backbone of team play can 
be formed only by such methods. In conclusion let us say, 
however, that there is no fault that will so surely defeat a 



TEAM PLAY 161 

team as the sacrifice of individual understanding and execu- 
tion to that part of team play that is known by the term 
" tricks." The first thing a team asks of a new coach who 
comes with a reputation for skill in tactics and successful 
team play is, '^ Teach us some tricks." There is only one 
trick that will win, and that is work. There is no royal road 
to victory. Every team must go through the dust and dirt 
and the hard daily practice to master the individual detail of 
each position. When that has been done, then team play 
will come without blunders, and a trick, though seldom very 
successful, is not attended by certain disaster. 



CHAPTER XI 

ON THE USE OF TRICKS IN FOOTBALL 

The Player's Ide^. The value and place of tricks in 
football is very generally misunderstood. To the players 
themselves tricks have an abnormal fascination. They seem 
to offer a short road to success. Deep down in the average 
player's mind there exists the feeling that tricks are the 
side-door to victory. The main entrance is through the 
hard daily toil, the well-grounded, consistent policy, and the 
long weeks of daily drill. But the side-door, although it 
offers a narrow entrance, seems, nevertheless, to offer a quick 
one. Given a reasonable amount of proficiency in the fun- 
damentals of the game, and a strong defense, it often seems 
to the player as if one or two successful tricks would bridge 
the wide chasm which exists between the mediocre work of 
his team and the well-drilled but familiar interference of his 
opponents. 

The Spectator's Misapprehension. With the public 
there is, perhaps, an even greater misapprehension in regard 
to tricks. The fickle public, with its constant tendency 
towards exaggeration, magnifies the importance of the suc- 
cessful trick, and bestows upon its author a degree of praise 
of which he is, in great part, unworthy. But the laws of 
compensation Avork here as elsewhere ; to the same extent 
that its praise is exaggerated is its blame magnified when 
the attack fails, or when, through its misuse, the trick works 
disastrously ; too much blame cannot then be heaped upon 
its author. In fact, the coach who supplies one or two start- 
ling tricks to a team, stands a fair chance of confusion 
because of over-praise or over-blame. 

The True Conception. This state of affairs is, perhaps, 
as clear an evidence as is needed of the general misinterpre- 



ON THE USE OF TRICKS IN FOOTBALL 163 

tation of the place and value of tricks. A trick is a good 
thing if it is rightly constructed and rightly used. In its 
very nature it presupposes that certain opponents shall be 
misled, or shall follow their instinct as against their train- 
ing. Therefore the success of even the best trick is doubt- 
ful. It is nothing but a hazard, more or less uncertain, and 
it finds its best warrant for existence when it is used in an 
emergency, as in the last three or four minutes of a game, 
when the score is slightly against the team ; in other wordsf 
when there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by its 
operation. 

Value of Tricks to a Team. Every team is the better 
for having two or three trick plays, provided only that the 
captain and quarter-back understand when and how they 
should be employed. This last point is important, for even 
the best trick may be so misused that its possession becomes 
a positive disadvantage to the team, while its reasonable use 
would have been of material value. But it is not difficult 
for the quarter-back of a team to gain a corrects estimate of 
the needs and uses of tricks, and it may, therefore, be safely 
laid down that each team should employ one or two of 
them in the critical games of the season. 

How They should be Made Up. A trick, to be of any 
real value, must be one movement in a series of plays from 
a common line-up. The reason for this is clear : if no other 
play is worked from the line-up, the success of the trick is 
limited to a single trial, for after once being used it will be 
tolerably familiar to the opponents, and on a second trial 
the method of stopping it (if it is a trick, pure and simple) 
will be discovered. Furthermore, the deceptive feature of a 
trick, which is its only element of value, is strengthened 
by an earlier introduction of some other play from the same 
alignment, so that the opponents are not simply attempting 
to diagnose the probable outcome of a new line-up, but are 
actually led to believe that they already know the plan of 
attack, and are only waiting for the ball to be put in play to 
take the same steps to check it which they employed before. 

The old Greek tutor charged a double price to instruct 
those pupils who had been taught by any other master, 



1 64 FOOTBALL 

exphiiiiiug that tliey had both to learn what he had to teach, 
and to unlearn what they had been taught before. This 
story illustrates the condition of a team when first meeting 
a trick which is one of a series of movements from a common 
line-up ; they have not only to learn the peculiar character- 
istics of the trick, but they are at the disadvantage of having 
to unlearn, or disburden themselves, of the instinctive ten- 
dency which has come with the earlier plays in the same 
series. 

Each Play in a Qeries should be Judged by Itself. 
In proportion as there are a greater number of movements 
from the same line-up, the trick, when it is played, will be 
all the stronger, and if it is possible in a series of four or 
five plays to have two or three tricks, the series will be, if 
properly used, one of the strongest weapons that a team 
could employ. 

The question naturally arises, hoAv much can be conceded 
to a weak play, in order to help out a strong trick play from 
the same line-up. As a general rule, the concession must be 
very slight. Unless every play of the series is reasonably 
strong, the trick, although a good one, should not be at- 
tempted. Each play of the series must have sufiicient in- 
trinsic worth to warrant the reasonable assurance that, 
against strong opposition, the team can at least gain its dis- 
tance in the trial. With this assured, the trick will be all 
the stronger when it is tried, for the very fact that the first 
effort resulted in the gain of the -required distance will nat- 
urally compel the opponents to rush to its defense with even 
greater energy than before ; and in proportion as they are 
instant on the defense are they hurr^dng to their own undo- 
ing. Thus the strength of each play in a series is conta- 
gious, and increases the strength of every other play in a 
first trial. 

When and Where Tricks should be Employed. The 
first and most important place where a trick should be em- 
ployed is in the last three minutes of a match, with a slightly 
adverse score. This is an emergency when everj^thing may 
wisely be staked upon the issue of even the most hazardous 
trick ; if it fails, the conditions are unchanged, and there is 



ON THE USE OF TRICKS IN FOOTBALL 165 

still at least a chance. It is a time for the application of 
the motto, " Nothing venture, nothing have." 

The trick used at such a time may be of a different nature 
from that which would be employed at an ordinary stage of 
the game. In other words, it may be one of a most hazard- 
ous class of plays, such as a long double pass, or a difficult 
criss-cross, in which the effort itself is not only extremely 
difficult, but in which there may be a large risk of the loss 
of the ball. On the other hand, such plays, if successful, are 
usually abnormally successful. It seems as if the very haz- 
ard of the undertaking brought with it an additional measure 
of reward, and a touch-down is often the result of the suc- 
cessful execution of a play of this description. 

A Side-Line Stratagem. Another opportunity where 
a trick may be wisely employed is offered when the ball is 
close to the side line. The possibilities of strategic opera- 
tions in such a situation are very great, and any team which 
takes to tricks readily, and handles them skillfully, will do 
well to have in its repertoire at least one side-line trick. It 
is nearly always a play which makes every appearance of 
starting for the long side of the field, but by a dodge or criss- 
cross sends the runner with or without a single interferer, 
down the short side of the field, close to the side line. It is 
usually not a difficult play to bring off, but the runner should 
be cautioned against allowing himself to swerve over the line 
at any point in his run. 

After a Loss on First Down. Another place where 
a trick may often be employed is on a second down, where 
the first down has resulted in a loss, and there is consequently 
over five yards to gain. The chance of gaining this increased 
distance in a single attempt by a direct attack is generally 
so small that it is a good time to employ a trick. 

The relative value of a straight play and a trick may per- 
haps here be stated in such a manner as to make the whole 
subject easier of comprehension to the student ; let it be 
understood, then, that a straight play is more certain to gain 
its distance than a trick play. It is less certain to gain an 
exaggerated distance. A trick which will gain one yard is 
almost equally certain to gain five or six yards. But a legit- 



166 FOOTBALL 

imate play is much more certain to gain a yard and a half 
than a trick play is of gaining at all. If a correct count was 
kept of the distance gained by each legitimate play and each 
trick, it would be found that the average of distance gained 
on tricks was undoubtedly greater than on legitimate plays, 
but the relative number of failures to gain any distance 
would also be greater in the trick list than in the legitimate 
list. 

This teaches an important lesson, that trick plays are 
hazards, and that they are only to be used in situations which 
peculiarly adapt themselves to the acceptance of a hazard. 
This might be given as the formula or ground principle, upon 
which all tricks should be used : let the* quarter-back once 
thoroughly grasp this, and there will be less danger of the 
misuse of tricks. 

How Tricks should be Tested. Every trick, before 
it is incorporated into the team's list of plays, should be 
thoroughly tested against at least two or three different 
elevens. 

A football team is like a baseball nine in certain respects. 
It has '' off days," when it plays poorly ; it has men in im- 
portant positions who are exceptionally weak in certain single 
features of play, betraying in these a weakness far below the 
average ability of the team, — a weakness which cannot be 
counted upon in other teams of relatively equal strength. 
Furthermore, a trick, depending, as it does, upon the mislead- 
ing of an opponent, can only be correctly gauged as to its 
value by the average of its workings upon a number of occa- 
sions. It is planned in uncertainty, and operated in uncer- 
tainty, and its value will be uncertain, if judged by any single 
trial against a single team. Only by records, carefully kept 
and averaged, can its true merit be known ; and such records 
should always be secured by the captain. 

Individual Opinions are of Little Value. It may be 
set down as a safe rule that the opinion of no man, be he 
player or expert, is of great value in regard to the probable 
success of a trick before it is tried. In no single point in 
the whole game of football does a man write himself down a 
greater blunderer than in daring to predicate the success of 



ON THE USE OF TRICKS IN FOOTBALL 167 

a movement before it is tried upon the field. Over and over 
again has the experiment been tried of showing a play upon 
paper to each one of half a dozen coaches, in private, with 
the result of half a dozen different opinions in regard to it. 

In one such instance, four coaches were asked the prob- 
able man who would be dangerous to the working of a cer- 
tain trick, or, in other words, the man who would check the 
play or bring down the runner. In each case a different man 
was named, and the result of these interviews was that four 
different objections were established to the play, because four 
different men in the defending team were singled out as 
" sure to stop the runner." When the play was tried, not 
one of these men was able to stop the runner until the play 
had gained such substantial distances as made its value 
assured for the entire season. 

Therefore, take the opinion of no individual, however 
expert he may be, or however good may be his judgment, as 
to the value of any trick play, until he has seen it tried 
against opponents who are not familiar with it. Eemember 
that every play looks differently on paper from what it does 
upon the field, and when the basis of a play is the deception 
of the opponent, it is impossible to predict the result with 
any degree of accuracy. 

How many Tricks should be Employed. The num- 
ber of tricks which should be employed by a team is an 
important matter. By this is meant, not the number which 
should be tested or tried, but the number which should be 
carried by the team into its final matches. This number 
must depend wholly upon the character of the team, as a 
team. If it is composed of heavy men, good at sledge-hammer 
ground-gaining, but not light and shifty upon their feet, one 
or two tricks are all that can probably be used to advantage. 
If, on the other hand, the team is composed of exceptionally 
light men, quick on their feet, good dodgers, clever at pick- 
ing their holes in the line, and ready in expedients, the 
number of tricks may be increased up to a limit of five or 
six, beyond which number it is very rarely wise to go. 

Hints upon Selection, Let the tricks be selected 
with great care, and in estimating their value do not forget 



1 68 FOOTBALL 

that a less showy trick, if placed in a strong series of four 
plays, is worth as much as a more brilliant trick played 
with only one other play in the complement. Test every 
trick before it is used, and test it against different elevens. 
If this is impossible, endeavor to arrange for the change of 
the immediate defenders in your opposing team, and substi- 
tute in their positions green men who do not know the play. 
This will afford an opportunity of seeing how different men, 
who have been coached differently, will meet the conditions 
by which you have surrounded them. 

Final Hints as to Tricks. Never forget that a trick 
is, after all, nothing but a trick. It is not football per se, 
but rather an offshoot of the game, born of the wonderful 
tactical possibility of the game, which is one of its greatest 
charms. A good trick is no disgrace to the sport. The 
odium which attaches to it is a case of " give a dog a bad 
name." If we call it a stratagem, it is dignified at once 
into a piece of headwork, by which brains may triumph over 
brawn. 

But remember that it is not enough for the trick itself 
to be successful ; it must also be used successfully, and by 
this is meant that it must be used sparingly, and only when 
the conditions clearly call for its use. 

Finally, in giving tricks to a team, let them be surrounded 
by a reasonable degree of mystery, and let them be taught 
and rehearsed in private,- if possible. Encourage the team 
to believe that they have in their list one or two trick points 
of decided advantage, about which their opponents are in 
entire ignorance. Encourage them to take a hopeful view 
of the result of such movements. They will then play 
them when they are called for with a much greater dash 
and spirit, because of their belief that the mine which they 
are about to explode will be all the more destructive because 
it is unsuspected. 



CHAPTER XII 

HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 

Expert Knowledge not Required. The opinion pre- 
vails to a large extent that, in order to construct successful 
movements or plays for a football team, it is necessary to 
have a very thorough knowledge of the game, or to be spe- 
cially gifted by nature with an inventive mind. As a 
matter of fact, neither of these is essential, and any one 
who has interest enough in the subject to give the time 
needed may construct very successful plays, although not in 
any way himself an expert in the game of football. 

Nor is it necessary that one should have actually played 
the game, although it is essential that he should have a very 
thorough knowledge of the rules, and be reasonably familiar 
with the game itself, as it is played. This knowledge 
would naturally be the property of any one who wished to 
construct football plaj^s, since interest in the subject might 
fairly be assumed to presuppose a knowledge of the game, 
and at least a superficial knowledge of the rules. It is only 
necessary to strengthen this superficial knowledge by con- 
stant reference as the work progresses. 

At the very start it is a good plan to cut loose from old 
traditions, which are often false or misleading, and from all 
impressions of existing plays. In other words, do not try to 
improve the old-time plays, but strike out for yourself into 
new fields, and endeavor to open up undiscovered channels 
along which operations may be successfully begun. Ee- 
member that the game itself changes from year to year, and 
that the football player of half a dozen years ago, if he has 
not continued his study and interest, is quite behind the 
modern game of to-day. 

Let us, in this chapter, speak directly to the reader who 



170 FOOTBALL 

may wish to enter this interesting field, and in order to 
make what we have to say more explicit and perhaps more 
interesting, let us address him in the second person, as if we 
were face to face. 

The only idea w^hich you need to have in your mind is the 
single question of how to carry the ball through the oppos- 
ing line, under the necessary restrictions of the playing 
rules. Drop every other thought from your calculations, 
and go ahead on this broad basis, and you may be surprised 
at the success of eveb your first crude efforts. 

Two Different Methods of Work. You have your 
choice of two different methods of work. Neither can be 
claimed to be superior, and both may well be tried, with a 
view to adopting that method which proves most successful 
for you. One method is to use merely pencil and paper ; 
the other method is to have small blocks, dice, or counters, 
representing the players themselves, and group them or 
move them about upon a table or slate, on which is drawn 
the plan of a football field. 

If this latter method is employed, be sure that the spaces 
upon the field are in the same relative scale as the size of 
your counters or men. In other words, the size of the 
whole working equipment of diagram and players should be 
in correct relative proportion throughout. This is impor- 
tant, and it will greatly handicap your efforts unless you 
start with this one point accurately determined. Make the 
width of the field in the same scale as the five-yard dis- 
tances. Then calculate how many men are needed to stretch 
across the five-yard spaces, if they stand at the customary 
distance at which football players are separated. This will 
determine for you the proper size of your counter or block 
which represents a player. 

In the use of these two different methods, it is a good 
plan to use them alternately on the same play. In other 
words, having first constructed the play on paper, test its 
practicability by placing it on the field according to your 
second method of work. A play will frequently not look 
on the correctly-scaled field as it does on the roughly-drawn 
sheet. 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS. 171 

Errors to be Avoided. Now that you have selected 
your method of work, let us say a few words on the errors 
which you should avoid. Your first efforts will very likely 
be wasteful of men. There are only eleven of them, as you 
will soon learn to your sorrow, for many a clever move will 
fail you for the lack of a twelfth man. At an early stage of 
your work you will discover that it is an unwise policy to 
make " bluffs " without the ball. In other words, the oper- 
ation of sending two or three men on a ^^ fake '' dash toward 
the side lines, even though they make every appearance of 
having the ball, is expensive fooling. It may draw an end 
rusher down, but it probably will not. You must make 
your bluffs with the ball ; that is, generally speaking, let the 
ball go with the play. A great deal of time may be spared 
by avoiding that fascinating but fruitless line of operations 
which always tempts the novice, and in which a great 
demonstration is made in one direction, while the ball, in 
the hands of a single runner, with perhaps one interferer, 
or often with no interferers, is started in exactly the oppo- 
site direction. Very rarely can such attempts be made 
without loss. 

A second tendency of your earlier efforts, against which 
you should guard yourself, will be to subdivide the work. 
For example, if four men ^ have separately to do two or 
three different things, and it seems possible for you to 
unite the four into one body, and let that body do the dif- 
ferent things together, it will always be wise to so unite 
them. It is a safe rule to lay down, that individual labors 
should be united wherever it is possible. Bunch your inter- 
ference around the hall. 

Securing the First Idea. The first thing to secure in 
constructing a football play is an idea or conception of the 
movement, which, let us hope, will be an original one. The 
best ideas will not probably come to you when bending over 
your desk. They are far more likely to occur to you when 
walking in the street or riding on the cars, provided your 
thought is upon the development of the game. The instant 
you have the idea, take pencil and paper and go to work 
Vipon it without delay. Develop it fully, and do this at 



172 FOOTBALL 

the earliest possible moment, before the train of thought 
has passed from your mind. If you have under considera- 
tion what you think is a correct new principle of attack, do 
not lose patience when you tind it exceedingly difficult to 
Avork out your exact line of play from this principle. Re- 
member that the principle is the important thing, and per- 
sistent thought upon it will nearly always prove fruitful in 
the end ; the right play will surely suggest itself. 

The Paper Upside Down. Right here there comes in 
a curious feature : yhu viust work out your j^roblertis upside 
down ! In other words, let the centre of your paper repre- 
sent the defending line of your opponents, and bring your 
lines of attack from the top of the sheet down into the plan 
or diagram. To put it still more clearly, let your own team 
occupy a position at the top of the sheet, facing you, while 
you, in imagination, are occupying a position behind your 
opponents' rush-line, and not behind your own. Let the 
assault be directed at you, and you will be more quick to 
detect its weaknesses as you stand in the position of defend- 
ing it. 

New Principles from Old Ones. A new principle may 
often be built up on the improvement of an older principle. 
Thus, for example, the criss-cross may be perfected to a 
point which shall eliminate every dangerous feature (such 
as loss of the ball in the double pass, etc.), and make the 
confusion of the opponents doubly disastrous by compelling 
them to criss-cross their own forces as they follow the criss- 
cross of the ball. If you can devise a series of operations 
which shall bring two groups of your opponents moving 
against each other in exactly opposite directions, you have 
accomplished a master stroke, and one which will repay a 
generous expenditure of time in its development. 

A Method of Working Backward. When, after much 
study, no new method of attack suggests itself to your 
mind, it is possible to proceed by a different method, and 
often attain a most successful result. This method is to 
" force a situation " by grouping your men in the most ad- 
vantageous positions for them to effect a break through the 
opponents' line ; then, working backward from this group, 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 173 

trace the path of each man from his place in the group to 
his position in the original line-up. Choose your men with 
a view to effecting the line-up with the least possible con- 
fusion, and make your assignments in the interference corre- 
spond with the distance at which the player is located from 
the immediate spot of attack, to the end that the men who 
join the attack at the latest moment shall be naturally the 
ones who have the longest distance to travel. It is aston- 
ishing to discover what really good plays can be developed 
by this method. 

Still Another Method. Another method of originating 
plays is to proceed along the following lines : Provide 
yourself- with a collection of thin sticks or whittlings of some 
soft wood which will bear bending in various curves, and to 
different angles. With these sticks you can obtain a good 
idea of the possible concentration of men for an attack at any 
point along the line. By laying the sticks down, — a single 
stick accurately designating each man's course or path, let- 
ting each stick start from his position in the line-up, and 
terminate at his position in the final movement, — these 
sticks will then give you a graphic picture of the appearance 
of the movement at all stages. They will show you the route 
which each man travels and enable you to correct any pos- 
sible interference of one man with another. They will give 
you a clear idea of the original line-up, and another compre- 
hensive view of the interference when it is fully formed 
around the runner. They will further help you to effect the 
right assignments of men for the different labors of the play, 
since the length of the sticks shows the ground each man 
must cover to join the interference. In a word, the use of 
these sticks materially assists in the proper '' timing " of the 
play, and time is the most important factor in football oper- 
ations. No man can be a successful football general who 
does not realize the value of the fraction of a second in all 
operations. The use of the sticks which we have just 
described will reveal the possible danger which often arises 
from two players crossing each other's tracks in reaching the 
interference. 

It is no drawback to a play, but rather a distinct advan- 



174 FOOTBALL 

tage, to have the interference so carefully timed that the men 
shall cross each other's tracks in what might appear to the 
casual observer as a most reckless manner, but which prac- 
tice will easily demonstrate to be an entirely safe movement 
if accurately timed at every point. It is such a movement 
which most confuses an opponent, for it is the perfection of 
accurate timing. Few mistakes can be made in constructing 
football plays if the student will but insist upon the vital 
element of duration of time in every movement. 

Assigning the Lien. When the play has been success- 
fully conceived, a very important feature in the work of 
developing it is the assignment of the men for the particular 
labors of the play. These assignments will often- be sug- 
gested by the peculiar ability of a certain player to do a cer- 
tain part of the work. All care should be exercised, especially 
if the line-up is of a novel or unusual nature, to make the 
assignments so that the line-up may be taken in the quickest 
possible time, and with the least confusion. It is always a 
drawback, and sometimes a sufficient condemnation of a play? 
if any appreciable moment of time is needed to take the line- 
up. Delays of this nature inevitably slow down the attack, 
and this is always a disadvantage to the side which has the 
ball. 

Value of Detail Sketches. It is a very common prac- 
tice, in illustrating points in football, to make a random 
sketch on a slip of paper (often the back of an old envelope), 
and as soon as the consideration of the point is concluded, or 
the paper is covered with the drawing, it is carelessly de- 
stroyed. This is a great mistake. It is impossible to fore- 
see how much advantage may come to you through the ability 
to refer to a previous sketch, which, perhaps, at the time you 
made it, seemed wholly impracticable, but which, in the light 
of more recent developments, takes on a new value, and is 
now of the greatest service to you. To insure the preserva- 
tion in compact form of all these random sketches and 
studies, it is a good plan to keep a scribbling book, in which 
shall be kept all studies of plays, detail drawings, random 
sketches, and casual memoranda of every sort concerning 
football. Never use odd scraps of paper ! Let everything be 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 175 

entered in the book. A very cheap blank book will answer 
all needs, so long as you adhere to the rule that every sketch 
or drawing shall be thus preserved, whether' it seems of any 
value at the time or not. 

Sequences from One Line-Up. It is a safe rule that 
plays are doubly valuable when more than one play is con- 
structed from a single line-up. It is, therefore, an excellent 
plan to always build a second play, which may act as a foil 
to the first movement, both movements starting from the 
same line-up. If the first movement is a deceptive one, the 
second movement may be the correspondingly natural ten- 
dency of operations. If both are played with equal skill, 
each helps the other. Until they are both fairly familiar, 
the opponents will have great difficulty in knowing which 
movement is coming. These two movements taken together 
constitute what is known as a series of plays. Series of 
plays of this nature (each play starting from the same line- 
up) are used by every college team. The average number of 
plays in a series is four, but many have six or seven plays, 
and some have been known which had as many as twelve. 
One especially good series was once used which had sixteen 
different outlets. An added value in the use of series plays is 
found in the fact that the team avoid the necessity of learn- 
ing new line-ups. This is an important point, especially where 
substitutes are called upon during a game. It is a good plan, 
therefore, in building plays to group them, as far as possible, 
into series. If two separate plays have been invented, it is 
often possible to harmonize the two so that they may both be 
brought off from a common line-up. 

It is difficult to lay too much emphasis upon the disadvan- 
tage to the opponents when the second play of a series is 
tried, the first play having already become tolerably familiar 
through repeated use. It is probable that the first play will 
be the natural tendency or operation of the line-up, while the 
second play will be the strategic or deceptive operation. 
When this second play transpires, it is a strong temptation 
to the average player who is opposing the play to " play for 
the trick." By this phrase is meant to play in a purely 
mechanical way upon the assumed familiarity with the ear- 



17() FOOTBALL 

lier operations of the opponents. This tendency of a foot- 
ball player to go against his training, and rely too much on 
his judgment, is always strong, and it is this weakness which 
is taken advantage of when plays are grouped in one series 
with a universal line-up. In proportion as football players 
are taught to follow the ball, this dangerous tendency is less 
apparent. 

Iraportant Questions that Arise. Several interesting 
questions will suggest themselves at an early stage of the 
work — questions as ''to the easiest and hardest points in the 
line to assail ; as to the value of an extra man in the inter- 
ference, who may tend to slow it down, or to prevent its 
forming and getting away as quickly as it might do if he 
were not of its number ; questions as to the relative merits 
of a play constructed with an evenly balanced line-up on 
each side of the centre, as opposed to a play, with a one- 
sided line-up, which leaves no reasonable doubt in the minds 
of the opponents as to which side of the centre is to be 
attacked ; and many questions of a similar nature. In gen- 
eral, it may be said that the easiest point in the line to assail 
is the tackle-guard hole ; the most difficult is a run around 
the end. In developing a round-the-end play, bear in mind 
that the first and most vital matter is that the runner shall 
get away quickly. It is not too much to say that a play 
which gets the runner started instantly, Avith comparatively 
small interference, is always preferable to a play which 
carries a much more formidable interference, but wastes an 
appreciable interval of time in its formation. 

Where Balanced Line-Ups may be Most Effectively- 
Employed. We have already mentioned that the easiest 
point in the line to assail is the tackle-guard hole. It is also, 
in many respects, the most profitable ; it is certainly the point 
at which the majority of plays is directed. When assailing 
this hole, it is best to build plays with a balanced line-up ; 
or, in other words, with a distribution of men which shall 
leave an equal number on each side of the centre, so that the 
opponents will find it impossible to determine in advance, 
from the appearance of the line-up, on which side of the 
centre the runner is to be met. This prevents their effecting 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 177 

a concentration of the backs on either side of the centre^ and 
leaves only one rush-line back for the immediate supple- 
mentary defense. 

The Wisdom of Exchanges when on the Offensive. 
In the construction of all plays, it may be set down as a safe 
rule, that exchanges on the offensive are always wise. For 
example, if by sending one of your men twelve yards back, 
with the evident intention of ordering a punt, you can in- 
duce your opponents to send an extra back up the field to 
receive the expected kick, it is always a wise exchange to 
make. Your own back can then, by starting quickly, be of 
some possible use in the play, and certainly join the second- 
ary interference, while your opponent, who has gone up the 
field, will be of absolutely no service in the defense until the 
line has been pierced, and valuable ground has been gained. 

On the same principle, if it were possible for an end act- 
ing on the offensive to draw his opponent out across the field 
and away from the immediate scene of action, it would be 
good policy for him to do this, since the value of men, nu- 
merically, is greater on the defensive than on the offensive. 
This point will be found more fully discussed in another 
chapter. 

Plays with a One-Sided Line-Up. When a play has a 
one-sided line-up, or, in other words, when your men are 
massed in large numbers on one side of the centre, it follows, 
as a matter of course, that you will take an entirely different 
attitude towards such a play, and that your work will be less 
hampered, since it is perfectly clear to the opponents on 
which side of the centre the attack is to be made. There is 
much to be said in favor of one-sided line-ups, for however 
great the concentration of the attack may be on one side of 
the centre, it is unusual for an opposing captain to call over 
an end or a tackle from one side of the line to the other, to 
meet an unexpected concentration. Of course, if the line-up 
is in close proximity to the side line, the opposing captain 
would be justified in transferring a man from the short side 
to the long side of the field, in view of the limited width of 
territory to be covered in one direction, and the great danger 
of operations in the other direction, by reason of the wide 



178 FOOTBALL 

stretch, of territory in which those operations may be con- 
ducted. But at all other times, the line will practically re- 
main the same, however great the concentration may be upon 
one side, and this is a great advantage in favor of the one- 
sided line-up. Naturally the rush-line backs will move over 
a trifle toward the stronger side, but this is only the second- 
ary line of defense, and it is much more than compensated 
for by the requisitions which you have made from the 
deserted side of the centre. 

Value of an Unexpected Kick. In developing any 
series of plays, it is well to remember that a quick, unex- 
pected kick is most valuable at certain stages of the game, 
and one such play should, if possible, be included in every 
series. The addition of a quick kick is especially desirable 
in a criss-cross series. Vice versa, if the line-up is plainly 
for a punt, and the position of the full-back has induced the 
opponents to send an extra back up the field, the conditions 
are then most favorable for a criss-cross. 

Operating a Fake Kick. It is an excellent plan to 
include in your series one play of the style known as a " fake 
kick," or a sharp dash through the side of the line from 
which the rush-line half has just been withdrawn and sent 
up the field, as the extra man to receive the expected punt. 
Fake kicks are a most powerful method of attack, and they 
have this added advantage, that they may be worked more 
rapidly than any other style of trick play. It is no unusual 
sight to see repeated gains of fifteen to twenty yards made 
against opponents who have not been sufficiently coached on 
the true protection against fake kicks. 

Another Form of Strategy. One other profitable direc- 
tion for strategy is to make use of a familiar procedure in an 
unfamiliar way. For example, the calling back of a guard to 
head a heavy interference is a familiar form of procedure, in 
connection with a round-the-end play, or a mass attack at the 
tackle-guard hole. In either case the guard heads the group, 
and in some cases takes the ball himself. Now it is easily 
possible, after a play has been made up, to introduce this 
familiar procedure of calling back the guard, but without, in 
this case, having any^ object in view except the very slight 



¥ 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT PLAYS 179 

suggestion which it may give to the opponents that the play 
is to be one of these two familiar forms of attack. In real- 
ity the guard has been called back for no special purpose, 
but the simple change of work between two players, trifling 
and unimportant as it is, may yet be valuable from its mere 
suggestion of operations along the familiar lines suggested 
by the coming back of the guard. 

Conclusion. Much more might be said on the subject of 
the construction of plays, but it is only possible, in the brief 
limits of this chapter, to assure the reader that any effort 
on his part to construct plays will be productive of much 
pleasure, and to again emphasize the fact that interest in 
the sport itself is all that is needed as an equipment for the 
work. The neophyte should never be deterred by the sug- 
gestion that he is not familiar with football. Successful 
plays have been repeatedly designed by men who knew com- 
paratively little of the game. With the few brief hints 
contained in this chapter to guide him, and with a warm 
interest in the sport to serve both as a stimulus to his 
thought and a practical help in his work, he may devote his 
time to the attempt with every reasonable assurance of 
success. 



CHAPTEE XIII 

FOOTBALL DOX'tS 

. What is Footbt/11 Instinct ? This little collection of 
the faults to be carefully avoided in football should be 
thoroughly instilled into the mind of every player; he 
should commit them to memory, and keep them constantly 
in mind, until the thoughts which they embody have become 
a matter of instinct with him. 

One often hears the expression, " football instinct." Per- 
haps there is no better definition of instinct in football than 
the emergency ability or proficiency to which a player has 
attained, who has so far mastered certain principles that in 
his playing he is rarely guilty of any of the errors pointed 
out in this chapter. It is not too much to say that the stu- 
dent whose game is up to the level of the tenets here laid 
down may be classed as a really great player. 

What this Chapter Includes. It is not intended to 
present here a complete collection of the " Dont's " of foot- 
ball, but rather to name a few of the more important ones, 
and with them to include some of less importance which, by 
a singular fate, seem always to be overlooked. The player 
should add to this list any special suggestions which may 
cover the weakness of his individual play. The list which 
we here give, and which is rather to be regarded as a collec- 
tion of general faults, is as follows : — 

Forty Cautions to the Player. DonH fail to play a 
fast game. Line up instantly after each down. Your game 
is twice as effective if there are no delays. 

DonH slug. Scrapping is not football. More than this, it 
prevents good playing. 

DonH wait for the opposing runner in the line. Break 
through and stop him before he reaches the line. 



FOOTBALL DON'TS 181 

DonH tackle above the waist or below the knees, but 
always at the hips. When about to tackle, keep your eyes 
on the runner's hips, and he cannot so readily deceive you 
in his movements. 

DonH let any player whom you tackle gain an inch after- 
ward. Never let him gain his length by falling forward. 
Lift him off his feet and throw him back toward his goal. 

DonH fail to try and take the ball away from an opponent 
when he is tackled. Make a feature of this, and you will 
succeed oftener than you anticipate. 

DonH let any thought take precedence of the ball itself. 
Keep your mind on the ball. Follow its every motion as 
far as possible. Always be ready to drop on it after any 
fumble or misplay. 

DonH be satisfied with a superficial knowledge of the 
rules. Master every detail. 

DonH let your opponents know when or where you are 
hurt. 

DonH make excuses, however good they may be. There 
is no room in football for excuses. 

DonH answer back to a coach upon the field, even if you 
know him to be wrong. Do exactly what he tells you to 
do, so far as you are able, and remember that strict obedi- 
ence is the first requirement of a player. 

Z)o?^'^ lose your temper. The man who cannot control his 
temper has no business on the football field. 

DonH be one minute late to practice. The hour named is 
the hour for you to be on hand. If you have not interest 
enough to be prompt, resign from the game at once, for you 
have not the proper spirit for victory. 

DonH rest contented after a misplay. Eedouble every 
energy till it is redeemed by some exceptionally brilliant 
stroke. 

DonH stop if you miss a tackle. Turn instantly and fol- 
low the runner at your highest speed. He is your man now 
more than ever. This is important. 

DonH weaken or slow down when about to be tackled. 

DonH, forget that a touch-down is twice as valuable and 
only half as difficult to make in the first three minutes of 



182 FOOTBALL 

a game. The opponents are often not completely waked 
up, and the moral effect of such an immediate score is very- 
great. 

DonH try, if you are tackled, to break the force of your 
fall by stretching out either arm or hand. It is dangerous. 

DonH exchange civilities with your opposite in the line, 
no matter how much the score may be in your favor. It is 
better to delay conversation until after the game. 

DonH " drop your sand " when the score goes against you, 
or when the ball is udder your own goal. Then is the time 
of all others to show your pluck. 

DonH magnify your bruises or let them frighten you. 
When hurt, make up your mind as quickly as possible as to 
your condition. You either can or cannot play. If the 
former, waste as little of your friends' sympathy as possible. 
If the latter, tell the captain at once, without any false 
pride, and get your release. 

DonH let an opponent know when he irritates you, unless 
you want more of the same treatment. 

DonH let an opponent ever see you weaken. It will 
simply redouble the attack at your position. 

DonH rise from the ground rubbing yourself when you 
have been thrown unusually hard. You will be thrown 
twice as hard next time, if your opponent sees you mind a 
fall. 

DonH give an inch in your blocking. If there is to be any 
space between you and your opponent, let it be on his side 
of the line. 

DonH forget your instructions to " always block the inside 
man." 

DonH give away the play by your attitude or movements 
in lining up. Watch yourself constantly in this regard. 

DonH let half the players of your team be in their posi- 
tions on any line-up before you have taken yours. 

DonH forget the vital principle of team play, which cannot 
be too often impressed upon the mind. It is this : Team 
jylay begins the instant the centre receives the hall from the 
hands of the runner. In other words, it is a jmrt of team 
play, and the most important part, to line up more quickly 



FOOTBALL DON'TS 183 

than your opponents. This is the very truest sort of team 
play, yet the delay of one single man in taking his place 
will ruin it completely. 

DonH be an automaton. Thoroughly master each princi- 
ple, and then vary your play as emergencies arise. 

DonH let any man be ahead of you in dropping on the ball 
when it is fumbled. 

DonH fail to try to be in every interference before it is 
finally stopped. Follow each runner, and watch for a 
chance to push him or receive the ball from him when he 
is tackled. 

DonH play high if you are checking an interference or 
running as a part of the interference. When you drop out 
of an interference, meet your opponent as low as possible. 

DonH fail to go down the field under every kick. 

DonH forget the rule that your own runner must never be 
alone when he is tackled. 

DonH shirk any required study or work for football. Earn 
the right to play football, or don't attempt it. 

DonH be discouraged with your ability or progress. The 
right spirit in football is worth more than anything. Be 
sure you have that, and your chances of success are good. 

DonH whine about decisions which seem unfair. Accept 
only honest, fearless officials, and then leave the game in 
their hands. 

DonH do anything to undermine discipline, or you are 
putting the axe at the very root of the tree. 

DonH be careless about guards, protectors, or padding, 
over any weak, injured, or exposed part of the body. One 
negligence may cost you the season's playing. 



PAET III 
FOR THE COACH 



CHAPTER I 

GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 

Different Branches of the Work. It is one of the 
peculiarities of football that the coaching of a team calls for 
the ability to instruct in many wholly different branches 
which have little connection with each other. It is well for 
the coach to have these various branches clearly distin- 
guished in his own mind, for it is necessary to take constant 
account of them in the development of a team. 

In the training of a leading ^Varsity Eleven these different 
branches are usually assigned to different coaches, each 
coach taking that in which he is best fitted to instruct, and 
being responsible to the head coach for the faithfulness of 
his teaching and the successful development of the team 
along this particular line. The theory of his work is some- 
times left to him to prepare, but more often it is decided by 
the council of coaches, or by the best expert talent at hand. 
But whether it is evolved by the coaches, head coach, or cap- 
tain, the theory along which the work is elaborated is of 
great importance, and should not be left unhesitatingly in 
the hands of the individual coach who is to superintend the 
instruction and development of the team along the lines 
which the theory lays down. 

In the development of a minor team, where only one, or 
possibly two coaches are available, this subdivision of the 
work and its assignment to different parties is manifestly 
impossible ; but it then becomes all the more necessary that 
the single coach should keep in mind the various branches of 
the coaching, and the order in which they should receive 
attention. 

These various individual branches may be set down as 
follows : — 



1 88 FOOTBALL 

(1) Coaching Individual Positions. This would in- 
clude the careful instruction to the entire team in the details 
of their several positions. A large part of this coaching can 
be done off the field, or at least outside the hours of practice. 
The best method for such coaching, where it is practicable, 
is for the coach to put on his football togs and be prepared 
to illustrate practically every point of instruction which he 
gives. The coaching of individual positions should have 
almost entire sway during the first weeks of the season. 

There will come a time when the season is a little less 
than half concluded, when individual coaching must be side- 
tracked, and the team handled as a unit. This is the period 
when team play is being developed, when the relationship 
between different players is being taught, and when preci- 
sion, accuracy, and the " getting together " of the team need 
paramount attention. The coaching of individual positions 
need not entirely cease at this time, but it should be done in 
a way which will not interfere in the slightest degree with 
the handling of the team as a unit. It may be found neces- 
sary then to have no individual coaching during the practice, 
but insist that it shall all be done after the practice, when 
the players may be taken one at a time, and their individual 
faults explained and corrected. 

(2) Kicking. It is imperative that some one man shall be 
responsible for coaching the kickers and catchers. It goes 
without saying, that the kicking ability of the team should 
not be concentrated in one player. Every one of the backs 
should be diligently trained in kicking and catching, not only 
to the end that the best kicker may be developed, but also 
because, through injury or unforeseen occurrence, any one 
of the backs may be called upon to undertake this feature of 
the work. 

The particular style of kick which shall be taught is a 
question which can be settled by the captain and coach or 
coaches, but care should be taken not to alter the coaching 
policy in this direction when it has once been started. It 
may be found advantageous to coach one man for straight 
kicking, and another man for the side kick, but the most 
important element of all should be a watchfulness to see 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 189 

that all the kicking is done in the shortest possible space of 
time, and that the kicker understands clearly how to receive 
the ball, and how to handle it to the best effect. His par- 
ticular stride in making the kick should be carefully re- 
hearsed, and the time required for the pass and the long- 
distance punt should be constantly timed in practice. The 
limit of speed which must be attained in this particular has 
been well established by experience, and it is not difficult 
to determine arbitrarily whether a kicker is relatively slow 
or fast. All the various branches of kicking should be 
taught, and especial attention should be given to place kick- 
ing of goals. The points which are earned in this way are 
very important, since two place-kicks of goal are equal to a 
touch-down, and it is one of the maxims of football that a 
coach should strenuously insist upon the recognition of the 
full value of accurate place kicking. 

Kicking practice, calling as it does for only two or three 
men upon the field, need not be undertaken in the regular 
hours of team practice, as time can always be found for this 
individual work. 

(3) The Offensive Game. Under this head would come 
the planning of all the various plays which the team will 
employ, including the kick-off, the defense of the kick-off, and 
the protection for a punt. While the responsibility for pre- 
paring these plays, and making the various dispositions of 
men in each play, must positively be assumed by some person 
or persons, it is not necessary, of course, that the plays them- 
selves should all be planned by this person. As a detail of 
the general system of coaching, this division of the subject 
deserves the special study of some competent head. 

(4) The Defensive Play. Defensive team play has not 
reached, in this country, the great development which offen- 
sive play has attained. The defense of most teams is char- 
acterized by much purely individual play, and the establish- 
ment of a scientific theory of team defense has not yet been 
attained, even by some leading college teams. 

As a general statement, it may be said that the defensive 
play of a team, as a team, should be daring and almost reck- 
less. The moral value of such a defense is very great. It 



r.)0 FOOTBALL 

often happens in the development of a team that where the 
individual play of the line is very courageous, the team play 
of the line in defense is cowardly, and the result is almost 
invariably the spectacle of an opponent's charging forward 
without meeting any serious opposition until reacliing the 
line ! This is equivalent to a tacit yielding to the opponents 
of one yard on almost every play. The rule should be, 
" Break up the play before it is started, and always tackle 
behind the opponents' I'lne.^'' Hence the best theory of defense 
which can be elaborated must be one which demands of cer- 
tain players that they shall go " tearing " through the line 
the instant the ball is snapped, with a view to tackling the 
runner before he has fairly started, and it may be, in some 
cases, before even the pass has been made. 

Team Defense vs. Individual Blocking. A detailed 
explanation of a proper theory of defense is not given in this 
chapter for two reasons : first, it is impossible to formulate, 
arbitrarily, any system of defense which, in all its details, 
could properly be recommended to every team, or even to a 
large majority of college and school teams. Secondly, the 
various points in the establishment of a correct theory of 
defense for any team are elaborated in the chapters on rela- 
tionships of one player to another in the second part of this 
book. 

Some of these theories so far commend themselves that 
they are given here an entire and unqualified indorsement 
which is intended to imply that they are sufficiently practical 
for them to be recommended to any team. One such point, 
for example, is the relative playing of the tackle and rush- 
line back, where both half-backs are brought up to reenforce 
the line. In this case, the most acceptable theory of re- 
lationship between the tackle and line back would be that 
which has been described somewhat as follows : The tackle 
moves out until he reaches a position where he can clearly 
go through quickly outside of his opponent ; if his opponent 
undertakes to follow him out, the rush-line back steps up 
into the tackle's place. The opposing tackle will naturally 
obey his coaching, and " take the inside man," moving in so 
as to give his whole attention to the rush-line back. The 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 191 

moment he does this, the rush-line back drops back a yard 
or more, which immediately takes him out of the line, and he 
becomes no longer properly an inside man. Following his 
coaching, the tackle would then move out slightly in order 
to block his opponent, and the instant he does this, the rush- 
line back steps forward again into the line. This constant 
see-sawing of the rush-line back and the opposing tackle is 
maintained up to the point where the ball is put in play. In 
whatever position the opposing tackle finds himself, the 
chances are good that both the tackle and rush-line back will 
get through the line. One of them will certainly succeed in 
going straight through to reach the runner. 

The failure here of the opposing tackle is the old prover- 
bial case of the man who falls between two stools. In trying 
to take care of both men at once, he is very apt to lose both. 
This supplementary work of the tackle and rush-line back on 
the defense should be practised by both tackles. 

Preparing a Defensive System. These various details 
of defensive team play may easily be united into a system 
from a careful reading of the " Eelationship " chapters in 
the second part, and a selection of those details which best 
commend themselves to the coach for the development of 
the particular team which he has in hand. Such a course 
will build up a stronger defense than were an arbitrary plan 
here offered for his guidance. His own theory, when thus 
prepared and carefully explained to the man who is to have 
charge of the defensive work of the team, should never be 
departed from in the later work of the season. The defense 
for a punt and for a drop-kick would not properly be cov- 
ered by the theory here described, but should be made the 
subject of special preparation. 

Delay in Starting Team Defense. One fact in this 
connection should be emphasized, for it is an important one, 
and may come as a decided innovation to some coaches : The 
theory of the defense should not he given to the team until the 
close of the third week of the season, not forgetting that there 
are teams to whom, as a team, this theory should never be 
given. 

The reason for such a delay is the danger, which clearly 



192 FOOTBALL 

exists, that the team may win its minor and unimportant 
victories in the early part of the season on its theory of 
defense, rather than on the primary virtue of good blocking. 
It is better for the team that its early victories should be 
secured on nothing but straight, simple, individual blocking 
in the line, with no relationship taught between the players, 
and no wise theories of defense to aid them. This method 
may result in keeping the score down in the earlier games of 
the season, but its value will surely be manifested later in 
the season, and the cikirse of the coach in this particular will 
be fully justified by the final results. 

When the theory of the defense is at last given to the 
team, there need be no fears that the line men have not been 
thoroughly grounded in the primary principles of blocking 
and breaking through. The higher science, when it comes, 
will be all the more prized because it will come as a powerful 
auxiliary to the early training, and, being new, there will be 
no danger of its being lightly esteemed by reason of over- 
familiarity before the season closes. The average football 
player attaches an inordinate value to anything new, and the 
chances are strongly in favor of his thinking more and mak- 
ing more of the theory of the defense if it is not given to 
him until the season is half completed. 

(5) Generalship. This is practically a matter which has 
to do with only three men, the captain, the substitute cap- 
tain (in case of injury), and the quarter-back. 

These three men should know the best tactics to employ 
in every game and in any position or contingency which may 
arise. More than this, they should not only understand what 
to do, but the reason for it, and this clear comprehension of 
the cause for each action will furnish a groundwork of foot- 
ball instinct which may carry the team safely through many 
unforeseen emergencies. It may be well, before any impor- 
tant game, to briefly summarize to the entire team the infor- 
mation which has been given to these three men, relative to 
the especial tactics to be employed in this particular game, 
and the reason why these tactics have been laid down. This 
feature of the matter has been more completely discussed in 
another chapter. 



GENEKAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 193 

(6) Spirit. Quite apart from the training of the team, it 
is necessary that some attention should be given to the spirit 
which must be infused into the players. Football is a game 
which well tests the mettle of the man. Proficiency in the 
playing of a position in minor games against comparatively 
weak teams, or on the field of practice, is not sufficient assur- 
ance in itself that the player can repeat this proficiency 
when he meets a team of greater strength. The elements of 
personal bravery and a dauntless spirit must not be over- 
looked, and inasmuch as it is clearly possible to infuse a 
great deal of this " do or die " spirit into a team, so that its 
play shall be greatly benefited thereby, it is eminently proper 
to regard this feature as a separate branch of training. 

(7) Conditioning. Under this head comes the work of 
the trainer. The team must be systematically developed, 
and their physical condition, entirely apart from the ques- 
tion of personal injuries, should be constantly watched over 
and developed. With the teams of the larger colleges, this 
physical conditioning should be done upon a carefully pre- 
pared method, which gradually develops the power of the 
team until it reaches its maximum at the date of the most 
important game. In the case of these more important teams, 
where a trainer is employed, this process of development 
does not properly consider the question of physical injuries, 
which may, therefore, be treated of under a separate classi- 
fication. 

(8) Physical Injuries. This is a department of the work 
which must, of necessity, be intrusted to' other hands than 
the football coach. If the services of a doctor have not been 
secured, some provision should be made whereby an injured 
player can receive medical treatment promptly. 

Head Coach. All of these various departments of the 
work will naturally be in the charge of one man, or possibly 
two men, in the case of school teams and the various minor 
league teams. But in college teams, where the services of 
graduate players may be requisitioned to assist in the devel- 
opment of the team, it follows, naturally, that there may be 
quite a number of coaches, and that the various departments 
of the work should be assigned to different men. With this 



194 FOOTBALL 

elaboration of the system, there arises the necessity of a 
head coach. 

There is great value, and equally great danger, in the crea- 
tion of one-man power in any situation, and this value and 
this danger are both present in the establishment of a head 
coach for a football team. The thoughtful man who finds 
himself appointed to such a position will make his influence 
felt in all important matters, but he will himself be rarely 
seen. His power is well-nigh paramount, but the public dis- 
play of his exercise Df that power might easily become in- 
tolerable ; on the other hand, the quiet guiding of the various 
conflicting questions, so that they shall all settle themselves 
along lines which wisdom dictates, need raise no antagonism, 
and will accomplish successfully all desired results. 

It is the duty of the head coach to see that the various 
coaches attend strictly to the work to which they have been 
assigned, and that they conduct their coaching along the 
lines laid down as the proper policy for the development of 
the team. If any coach, from any cause, fails in the per- 
formance of his work, it is the duty of the head coach to 
see that the work is taken up by other hands, and carried 
forward. He should especially attend to all questions of 
discipline ; he should make it his business to see that the 
attitude of the players toward their coaches is the proper 
attitude, and he should instantly suppress any breach of 
discipline, exhibition of bad temper, or insolence, from any 
player to any coach. He should advise with the captain on 
the laying out of the schedule of games, on the selections of 
officials, on ground rules, and on all the various questions 
of management which may arise during the season. 

Developraent of the Team. With these various branches 
of the coaching work now fairly in mind, it is possible to 
proceed to a consideration of the proper order of work 
throughout the various weeks of the season. This order of 
work may be summarized as follows : — 

(1) Primary and Conditioning Work : such as exer- 
cising on pulley weights in a gymnasium for a general 
strengthening of the muscles of the body ; short and long 
runs for improving the wind, etc. 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 195 

(2) General Individual Work. Under tliis head would 
come, for the rush-line, such preliminaries as blocking, 
breaking through, interfering for the runner, sprint starts, 
bowling over the end rush, breaking up an interference, 
dodging, going down the field under punts, long blocking, 
opening holes, etc. For the backs there would be constant 
training in kicking, catching, passing, interfering for the 
runner, quick starting, pushing the runner by shoulder and 
by arm, etc. Practice in such essentials as falling on the 
ball or tackling would be required for both rush-line and 
backs. 

(3) Primary Offense. Under this head would come the 
simpler forms of attack. 

(4) General Relationship between the Players. Or, 
in other words, what is vaguely known as " team play," 
including the theory of defense. This point in the general 
development should properly be reached when the season is 
half completed. The preliminary games, which have been 
played up to this point, must, of necessity, have been played 
with insufficient preparation, but it is fair to suppose that 
the preparation of the opponents has been similarly insuf- 
ficient, by reason of the contracted limit of the football sea- 
son, and the fact that the various colleges and schools of the 
country assemble their pupils within a very few days of the 
same date. 

(5) Secondary Offense. This would embrace the " tricks " 
and special plays prepared for emergencies and for effective 
use on one or two important occasions in any game, when 
the presence of the team close to an opponent's goal has re- 
doubled the efforts of the opponents, and made the gaining 
of ground exceedingly difficult. In this position, the value 
of a kick on the third down being very slight (owing to the 
proximity to the goal line), some special play may be tried. 
At such times, and at many other decisive situations in a 
game, the use of a special play is sufficiently important to 
warrant the spending of a few days at this stage of the sea- 
son in the preparation of such secondary adjuncts to the 
offense. 

(6) Precision. This may be more fully described as the 



196 FOOTBALL 

shaping up of the interference, the clock-like accuracy of the 
various individual movements, the establishment of close 
sympathy between adjacent players, and the general over- 
sight of all the details of play, to the end that greater speed 
and accuracy of movement may be attained. This last work 
might not inaptly be called " putting the finishing touches 
to the team." 

(7) Ginger. It would hardly do to call it ^' spirit," for 
there is a slight shade of difference in the meaning of the 
two terms. "Spirit" the team, both individually and col- 
lectively, is supposed to possess, but " ginger " involves spirit 
and something more besides. 

It is an established fact that, however hard a team is play- 
ing, it is always possible to call upon the men for an extra 
spurt at critical times. The infusion of ginger into a team 
is the arousing in it of a spirit which will keenly appreciate 
the importance of these extra spurts, and be ready to employ 
them when demanded. It is the putting into the team, as 
individuals, that " do or die " determination which experience 
has shown to be so valuable in close football contests. Who- 
ever may be the members of the team, and whatever college 
they may represent, it will not be found safe to ignore this 
department of the coaching. 

The Progress of the Work. To give the complete detail 
of the way in which this routine of coaching works itself 
out in actual practice would require too much space for the 
limits of this book. A running glimpse of the season's work 
as it unfolds itself will be sufficient for the needs of the 
average coach. 

The school or college calls its pupils together, as a rule, 
about the 25th of September, and this event determines the 
opening of the football season. In the colleges it is the 
custom for a few of the more enthusiastic players to assem- 
ble from one to two weeks before the opening of the term, and 
even in the preparatory school such advance practising is 
eagerly entered into by the students, who have a keen reali- 
zation of the close proximity of the first game of the season, 
and are anxious to " make the team early." 

Let us assume that the college or school opens late in 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 197 

September, and that the first game of the season is to be 
played on the following Saturday. Many candidates for the 
team would undoubtedly be assembled at least one week 
before the opening of the school, so that systematic practice 
might be said to be possible at least ten days before the 
first contest of the season. It must be remembered that 
during this time the students have no work whatever upon 
their studies. It is a part of the vacation term, and their 
entire time is at the disposal of the coach, who can well 
employ a part of it in getting the men into first-rate physical 
condition. 

First Three Days. To this end the first few days should 
be spent in the merest rudiments of football, with a great 
deal of time given to outside exercises not connected with 
the sport; expanding work to gently stretch the muscles, 
and short runs to improve the wind, should be the order for 
these first days. A part of the time can be profitably em- 
ployed in the rudiments of the game, such, for example, as 
practice in falling on the ball, kicking, catching, sprint 
starting, etc. By the third or fourth day especial stress 
should be given to teaching all the candidates for the line 
the simplest fundamental principles. They should now make 
their first attempts at blocking, breaking through, and open- 
ing up holes. These three things might properly be called 
the A, B, and C of rush-line work, and it is upon the thor- 
oughness with which these are taught that the later success 
of the team will, in large measure, depend. 

While the line men are learning these general fundamen- 
tals of their position, the backs should be employed at kick- 
ing, catching, passing, sprint starting, interfering, tackling, 
blocking off, etc. The work of the backs in these directions 
corresponds to the work of the line on the fundamentals 
previously enumerated. 

Coaching Individual Positions. After two or three 
days of hard and faithful work on these foundation princi- 
ples, the time has come to begin the instruction of the vari- 
ous candidates in their special positions. The tackles must 
be taught the proper play of tackles, the ends must be taught 
the work of an end, the guards and centre must be faithfully 



198 FOOTBALL 

instructed iu the primary requisites of their positions, and 
so with the candiflates for places back of the line. 

This work will be going forward necessarily in connection 
with a few of the simpler forms of plays. No theories of 
offense or defense will as yet have been presented to the team. 
They will have advanced only to the point where they have 
begun to grasp the details of their position, and to have 
learned a few of the simplest plays, when the first ten days 
will have expired, an^l they will be called upon to play their 
first contest of the season. 

Progress up to the First Game. Briefly running over 
their stock in trade for this first contest, it will be found 
that they have so far exercised and developed their muscles 
that the first stiffness will have passed away, and a sufficient 
amount of wind power will have been acquired to carry 
them through the very short playing intervals which mark 
the games in this early part of the season. They will have 
had a certain amount of practice in falling on the ball, and 
the other general exercises of a similar nature which mark 
the contest. The backs will be fairly proficient in kicking 
and catching. They have already begun to apprehend the 
meaning of interference ; they know something about tack- 
ling, but very little. The line men will have a general idea 
of the proper play of their respective positions ; they have 
been taught the first principles of blocking, brcEiking through, 
and opening up holes, although in the last-mentioned requi- 
site they will for some time be very deficient. But it will 
be seen that in a general way the team has reached a point 
where it is possible to bring off, without discredit, a contest 
of two ten-minute intervals, with an opponent of about 
equal strength. 

The Succeeding Three Weeks. During the next three 
weeks, which may stand for the first half of an average 
season, the individual work of each player should have close 
attention. The line men should be carefully coached upon 
the various details of their position play, and many helpful 
suggestions may be gained by them from the various books 
upon football which give prominence to this preliminary 
individual training. It will be wise to pay especial atten- 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 199 

tion to the work of the quarter-back, to the end that he may 
handle the ball surely and swiftly in every play. The value 
of such extra work at this point is easily understood when 
it is remembered that nearly every play is affected by his 
quick or slow speed. 

These first few weeks of the season are an excellent time for 
a captain to study his men. Changes in the make-up of the 
team may be made at this stage of the season with compara- 
tively no harmful results, and many traits of the different 
applicants will be revealed to the coach, which will serve 
him at a later date, when the time comes to make the neces- 
sary discriminations between the ability of the competing 
players. 

The practice on the field during these first three weeks 
must necessarily be very much interrupted by the coaching. 
Care should be taken, however, not to have the interruptions 
more frequent than is absolutely necessary. A very large 
amount of coaching can be done without any interruption to 
the practice. Standing behind a player and quietly talking 
to him, pointing out his defects, and showing him wherein 
he can improve, need not interfere in any way with the con- 
tinuity of the play. The coach should not hesitate, how- 
ever, to interrupt the practice at any moment when the 
importance of the instruction or its applicability to every 
man on the team makes it wise to speak publicly. 

An Important Decision : Individual Defense vs. 
Team Defense. At the expiration of the first three weeks 
of the season, or thereabouts (the time depending upon the 
progress which has been made ; the team having played its 
games thus far depending for defense solely upon the indi- 
vidual blocking of the men in the line), an important decision 
must be made by the coach. Shall the team, as a team, be 
taught any special theory of defense ; that is, shall a system 
of relationships between different adjoining players when 
on the defensive be laid down ? With some teams it is a 
serious question whether such a system should be taught 
to the team as a luhole. For the establishment of a theory 
of defense for the entire team is not without its disadvan- 
tages. It makes the men inferior always as individual per- 



200 FOOTBALL 

formers. ]^ut failing instruction in a theory of team defense, 
it may still be j^ossible, during the rest of the season, to 
insist upon such a cooperation between the different players 
as shall make the defensive team play of the same high char- 
acter and undaunted nature as the offensive team play. 

The eleven is now approaching a time when it must be 
handled as a unit. Some one man must undertake to stand 
behind the eleven and see that its various movements are 
executed in such a manner that each man's efforts " dove- 
tail " in with those of his neighbor. It will be found that 
one man is not blocking his opponent properly in a certain 
play ; some runner is not clearly realizing the exact location 
of his hole or outlet in the line ; some interferences are 
clumsily formed ; some plays are being executed in a way 
which shows that the players do not realize that these move- 
ments are wholly dependent upon the dispatch with which 
they are worked ; and thus, in one way and another, a great 
deal of faulty and defective work awaits correction. Eor 
the larger part of the balance of the season team play must 
have the " right of way " in all the coaching. Individual 
work must be wholly secondary, and when not actually done 
off the field or after the hours of practice, it must be done in 
intervals of rest, or when time has been called in the prac- 
tice. 

Supplementary Offense. The moment that team play 
has been brought to a fair stage of development, it will be 
the proper time to supplement the simple offensive game 
with the specially prepared movements and tricks. The 
amount of time required for the team to learn these supple- 
mentary manoeuvres has always been greatly exaggerated. 
Really surprising results may be accomplished through the 
spending of only half an hour on each play. Instances 
might be quoted where effective plays have been brought off 
in important games, which had actually not been rehearsed 
a dozen times in practice, and which had not probably con- 
sumed, in actual time, more than forty-five minutes through- 
out the season. 

The Last Fortnight. As the last fortnight of the season 
is reached, the moments of practice become correspondingly 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 201 

valuable. It will now be well to examine carefully, in the 
light of the severer tests which it is receiving, the line-up 
for the defense of the punter, the line-up for the reception 
of the kick-off (and the eventuating play therefrom), and 
the form of attack upon the opposing full-back, when it is 
reasonably clear that the opponents intend to punt. These 
are three crucial points in every game, and it is wise not to 
leave them until the last moment, when the pressure of 
other matters may prevent their having that careful atten- 
tion which they require. 

Precision is now the important desideratum in the offensive 
work. The interferences must be formed quickly and accu- 
rately ; the passes must be made in a manner which does 
not jeopardize the safety of the ball ; the players must be 
watched, to the end that they do not, by their attitudes and 
movements, unconsciously reveal the nature of the impend- 
ing play to the opponents ; the team must be made to have 
confidence in each other, and a close sympathy must be estab- 
lished between all adjoining players. 

The backs should be encouraged to take their correct posi- 
tions, not by turning their heads to look in all directions, 
but by reaching out and measuring with their hands their 
distances from adjacent players, and if they give evidence 
of undue excitement they should be encouraged to talk 
quietly to each other, with a running undertone of conversa- 
tion, during the whole time of practice. This conversation 
is easily possible in the excitement of the game, without 
being overheard by the opponents, and many an overanxious 
player has been reassured by feeling the hand of his compan- 
ion upon his waist, and hearing his voice by his side. Such a 
player takes the ball and goes into the line with greater dash 
and confidence from his knowledge that he is being supported 
by his various interferers and pushers, who are close at 
hand. He has heard their voices and felt their touch, and he 
knows they are there. It is often this assurance of mutual 
support, this confidence in the supporting players, which 
carries a runner through the line for a good gain. 

For the many details which the coach should emphasize 
while developing the team play of the eleven, reference 
should be made to other chapters. 



202 FOOTBALL 

Rousing the Right Spirit. One detail of the coaching 
still remains to be clone. The proper spirit must be infused 
into the team. It is difficult to lay down any precise line 
by which this should be accomplished, nor is it necessary; 
for the knowledge of his players which the coach possesses, 
or will possess at this stage of the season, will suggest to 
liis mind which one of various methods he may employ. 
The men should in these last few days before their final 
game be kept apart as much as possible from their more or 
less excited associates. The team should eat together ; so 
far as possible they should live together. They should be- 
come excellently well acquainted with each other. 

It will also be found wise to take the team to some extent 
into the confidence of the coach and captain, but not too 
unreservedly if you wish to win. Let them understand 
clearly all the various preparations which have been made 
for the ordering of the game ; let them understand the au- 
thority which is to be exercised upon the field, and who is to 
exercise it. Tell them clearly all the arrangements for the 
delegation of that authority in the event of injury or dis- 
qualification. Explain any possibly cloudy points in the 
rules ; as each point is elaborated, give the reason for that 
point. For example, if instructing the team to return the 
kick-off, without attempting to rush the ball, explain why 
this course has been adopted. This should not be delayed 
until the day of the game. 

The Last Appeals. A very good time to have a quiet 
talk with the men, and endeavor to give them a realizing 
sense of the importance of the issue, is on the evening of the 
day before an important game. In a quiet meeting, without 
any attempt to transact exciting business, go over calmly 
the probable events of the morrow. So far as possible make 
it perfectly evident to the team that the question of victory 
or defeat lies entirely in their hands. Tell them that their 
best efforts are reasonably sure to result in victory. Picture 
to them exactly what defeat must inevitably mean. Give 
them a realizing sense of the important fact that the game 
cannot be played over again, but that the defeat must be 
final, and will stand as a record for all time to come. 



GENERAL SYSTEM OF COACHING 



203 



GENERAL COACHING PLAN FOR THE SEASON. 



Period. 



First week. 



Second week. 



Third week. 



Fourth week. 



Fifth week. 



Sixtli week. 



Seventh week. 



Work on the Field. 



Team Practice. 



Begin getting the 
guard out into the 
interference. Insist 
that quarter shall 
pass on the run. 



Quicken play slight- 
ly ; bring the quarter 
out into the interfer- 
ence with the guard. 
"Work them into the 
proper lines witli the 
runner. Less confu- 
sion should be no- 
ticeable. 

Begin to time the 
plays more closely. 
Still on the simpler 
forms of interfer- 
ence, but bringing 
the end in and draw- 
ing more men into 
the plays. Kicking 
game. 

Starting upon the 
more complicated 
plays. Making them 
safer. Quarter-back 
and trick kicks in- 
troduced. (Watch for 
and resist strongly 
the great tendency to 
retrograde on work 
already learned.) 

Having no man by 
himself when he 
comes down with the 
ball. Pushing and 
dragging. Getting 
the interference fast- 
er. Hurrying the 
runner. Practise 
trick plays. 

Testing plays for 
elimination. Recep- 
tion of kick-ofE and 
kick-out with inter- 
ference for run in on 
kick-off. Kick-out 
and punt-out. Prac- 
tising sequences 
without signal. Fast 
play and long day. 

Smoothing out the 
plays. Continue kick- 
off and kick-out. 
Trick plays gone over 
carefully' and made 
safe. 



Individual work. 



More important 
than team play at 
this stage. Studying 
the condition, adap- 
tability, quality, etc., 
coaching only the 
more common and 
glaring faults. 

Coaching the block- 
ing and breaking 
through. Ends down 
under kicks. More 
rapid line-up. Tack- 
ling. Check listless- 
ness ; watch espe- 
cially for insubordi- 
nation at this period. 

Coaching interfer- 
ence individually. 
How to take a man. 
How to cut out a 
tackier. Teach the 
making of holes. 
Playing low in the 
line. 



Ends and tackles 
on breaking inter- 
ference. Receiving 
quarter -back kicks. 
Getting the jump 
on the opponents. 
(From this stage no 
interruption to team 
practice for individ- 
ual coaching.) 

Taking the ball 
away. Use of hand 
and arm when break- 
ing through. Stop- 
ping mass plays. 
Regular umpiring 
daily. 



Trying the indi- 
vidual endurance. 
Teaching quick start 
to catcher. Prevent- 
ing overrunning the 
man. Converging- 

lines toward oppo- 
nent catching a punt. 
Close umpiring. 

Getting life into 
each man. Short play 
but sharp. Making- 
examples of mis- 
takes. Strict umpir- 
ing. 



Evening 
Conferences. 



Rules and in- 
terpretation. 
(Attendance not 
obligatory ex- 
cept for coach- 
es.) 



Coaching:— 
what it means ; 
the need of at- 
tention to it. 
(Attendance re- 
quired for short 
talks only.) 



Theories of In- 
terference: 
where slow and 
where fast; 
speed and tim- 
ing of it; keep- 
ing it off the 
runner. How 
holes in line 
should open. 
' Relationships 
bet we en the 
positions, and 
theory of team 
defense. 



Field tactics : 
especial discus- 
sions with quar- 
ter and field 
captain. Learn 
final signals. 



Objections to 
plays. Get a 
thorough open 
discussion of 
them. Spirit 
and dash. Re- 
view of field 
tactics. 



Comparison 
with opponents, 
and need of 
every moment. 
Final warnings. 



[DIAGRAM E.] 



204 FOOTBALL 

So far as possible, make the appeals to the men, not only 
from one standpoint, but from several standpoints. Remem- 
ber that the players are different in their nature and charac- 
ter, and that what will appeal to one man will not appeal to 
another. Some of the men may be moved by love for their 
school or college ; others will be moved more by the vision 
of the disastrous results of defeat ; others may be moved by 
the suggestion, skillfully made, of what victory will mean 
to the team if they win. This last appeal is nearly always 
a wise one to make to the average team. It is a fitting 
accompaniment to the portrayal of the significance of defeat. 
After showing the players the unfortunate side, by all means 
let them see the glory into which this misfortune can be con- 
verted by their united efforts. Instill into their minds the 
conviction that there are certain critical times in every game 
when a spurt must be made, when redoubled energy must be 
put into the play, and assure them that it is always possible 
to do this. 

Without going further into the character of these last ap- 
peals, and the various arguments which may be skillfully 
presented with the methods by which the proper spirit may 
be inculcated in the players, let us once more emphasize the 
necessity of not leaving this part of the work to be done 
wholly in the few moments before the game. The last ap- 
peals which are always made at such a time are rather in the 
nature of a reminder of all that has been said before, and a 
final, stinging incentive to play the first five minutes of the 
game with a realization of their especial value. It is too 
late, in these last appeals, to expect to reach the thoughtful 
or deliberative mind. That must be done earlier, or not at 
all. 

For more complete suggestions, and a fuller analysis of 
this part of the work, the reader is referred to chapters VI., 
VII., and VIII. of this part. 



I 



CHAPTER II 

ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 

Utilizing Outside Friends as Coaches. It often hap- 
pens tliat the development of a football team must be effected 
with only one coach. It rarely happens, however, that out- 
side the players themselves there are not a great many in- 
terested individuals who are ready and willing to cooperate in 
the development of the team, and who would gladly attend 
the various practices and assist the work by any means in 
their power. 

Whom to Select. The object of this chapter is to explain 
to the coach the various methods by which he can utilize the 
services of these interested outsiders, who have not them- 
selves the ability or knowledge to take a coach's part in the 
coaching. It is safe to say that the services of two such per- 
sons can be constantly employed. In making the selection, 
care should be taken to secure those who will be faithful in 
their attendance, and who can be relied upon to execute the 
work intrusted to them with the least interference with the 
work on the field. 

How to Employ Them. The work on which these two 
assistants will be employed is in the nature of keeping 
records or " tabs " upon the individual work of the men ; 
and these records, extended over the entire season, form a 
mass of testimony from which very valuable conclusions may 
often be drawn. These assistants should keep entirely out 
of the immediate field of operations ; following the team at a 
distance near enough to have a clear observation of every- 
thing which transpires, but far enough away not to hamper 
the work of the players or the coach. The result of their 
observations for the afternoon, carefully written out, should 
be turned in to the coach each day ; and it will be well for 



200 FOOTBALL 

tlie coach to see that he has them immediately at the close 
of the practice, when his own impressions and these actual 
results can best be compared. As has been previously stated, 
there are various channels in which this work may be pur- 
sued. We will take them up in their order. 

(1) Who Brings Down the Runner? Let the coach 
delegate one of these outside assistants to make a careful 
note of the name of the player who brings down the runner 
in every attempt of the opponents to advance the ball. 
Where such an attempt is made by a mass play in the cen- 
tre, and the movement is checked by the piling up of the in- 
terference in a confused heaj), it will often be impossible to 
designate any one man and credit him Avith stopping the play. 
In all such cases of doubt, let the record be merely entered 
as " scrimmage." It will also happen, in some cases, that the 
credit of bringing down the runner may fairty be shared 
between two different men, one man temporarily checking 
the runner, while some follower, taking advantage of this 
momentary check, tackles and holds him. In such cases, 
where the credit belongs clearly to both men, their names 
should be entered together, and in reckoning up the total of 
the day, they should each be credited with one half a tackle, 
or a whole tackle, as the coach may prefer. The instructions 
given to the assistants should cover this point, as it will save 
a long explanation at some future critical time on the field. 

Tabulated Report. At the close of the afternoon prac- 
tice the results thus gained should be hastily tabulated, and 
when given to the coach they will appear in something like 
this form : — 

Jones 17 tackles. 

Smith 14 " 

Brown 13 " 

Eobinson 7 " 

Etc., etc., etc. 

A very little practice of this sort will make it possible for 
an assistant, later, to render more important services to the 
team, by making this same record in each game, even 
although his presence uj)on the field may not be permissible 



ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 207 

beyond the limit of the side lines. Proficiency will come 
with the daily practice, and he will be able to record his data 
from a longer range of observation. 

Other Information. The coach will find, moreover, that 
as the season advances he can often gain from these assist- 
ants some very valuable information in regard to the method 
by which various forms of plays are stopped. This informa- 
tion will be of material value. For example, the coach will 
find it of profit to be informed by this assistant that a great 
many plays, directed at a certain point in the line, are 
stopped by a certain man. Some very significant pointers 
will undoubtedly be obtained from these records ; it may be 
found that one man (the quarter-back, for example) is ac- 
tually tackling the runner twice as often as any other man 
on the field. 

The record of " missed tackles," which can very well be 
kept in this same connection, will also be full of interesting 
information, and will serve as useful corroborative testimony, 
indorsing, or perhaps upsetting the opinions formed by the 
coach from his hasty and necessarily divided attention. 

(2) Gains Each Time of Each Play. Here is another 
set of records, the nature of which is sufficiently explained 
by this brief description of them. The object is to show the 
relative value of the different plays which the team is em- 
ploying. 

The keeping of this record is somewhat more difficult than 
the records last described, but it is not in any way work 
which cannot be successfully performed by outside assist- 
ants. The best method of keeping it is to number or let- 
ter each play, and commit this set of numbers or letters so 
completely to memory that it will be possible to imme- 
diately note down a play by a single character. The number 
of yards gained or lost should then be entered beside the 
play. Another form in which this record may be kept will 
be by the means of long columns, each column reserved for 
one particular form of play, and the columns lettered over 
the top with the names of the plays. The objection to this 
method is that it does not furnish to the coach the further 
data, which is quite as desirable, as to the order in which the 



208 FOOTBALL 

plays were given. By keeping these records in the first-men- 
tioned way, a double service is really performed, for beside 
noting the gain or loss by each play, the ordering of every 
afternoon's practice by the quarter-back is also made a matter 
of record. 

These records may also, with comparative ease, be made in 
every game, even at the distance of the side lines. They 
must necessarily be frequently inaccurate when kept from 
such a long range of observation, but the results are suffi- 
ciently valuable to make the keeping of them in each game 
well worth tho small labor involved. 

(3) Where Gains are Made Through Your Line. 
This class of records will be just the reverse of the class 
mentioned in the previous section, and their object will be 
to show the weak points in the defensive play of different 
men, with a view to correcting their weakness by special in- 
structions during later practice, or off the field. This record 
of gains may be sometimes joined with the second set of 
records, and both kept by one man ; but it is better to have 
them kept separately, if the presence of an extra man can 
be commanded. In the absence of an assistant upon any 
afternoon, the double records may, however, be undertaken 
by any one who has attained a fair degree of proficiency in 
record keeping. 

(4) Timing Passes and Punts. This should be done 
with a stop watch, and the information obtained can be util- 
ized by the coach to good advantage. The fact that only two 
men (quarter and full back) are practically engaged in this 
particular play makes it easily possible to locate any tardi- 
ness or slowness on their part, and the best record of speed 
which they are able to attain in practice should be rigidly 
held up as the standard, below which they must never fall in 
a game. 

(5) Photographs of Plays. This is an accessory of 
coaching which has at times been employed with excellent 
results, but the conditions are often of such a nature that the 
method is of little value. It goes without saying that some 
one must be found expert in the use of the small camera. 
The views taken must be instantaneous exposures, and it will 



ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 209 

be found that frequently the most desired exposure is im- 
possible through the inability of the operator to be present 
at the exact spot from which the exposure can best be made. 
Practice taking place in the afternoon, the exposures must, 
of course, all be made away from the sun, and this further 
limits the efficacy of the method as an accessory in the work. 
On the other hand, while frequently impossible, and often- 
times of little value compared with the labor it involves, the 
results, when they are obtained, are of the highest impor- 
tance. 

If this method is undertaken it will be found best to make 
arrangements for the developing and printing of the films 
as quickly as possible after the practice is concluded, for the 
pictures will have an added value if the occurrence can be 
easily recalled, and a play accurately located, with all the 
details verified. 

(6) How many Ways a Man has of Blocking. This 
is an accessory of coaching not connected with the keep- 
ing of records, and one which cannot possibly be left in 
the hands of any unskilled assistant. It is rather offered 
as a suggestion to the coach, of a way in which he may 
profitably utilize some evening when, assembling the line 
men about him, he may draw out from them all the infor- 
mation they may be able to give him under this head, and 
discover, as a result of the evening's talk, how much fertility 
of invention the players have, and how much they are rea- 
soning and working out their own problems without his 
assistance. Suggestions from him should, of course, con- 
clude the evening's talk. 

(7) Notes on Defense and Offense Made by Each 
Man in Bach Play. In the earlier part of the season, 
when the men are not being worked to an extent which de- 
prives them of leisure time, it is an excellent plan, after 
some particular game, to ask the players to write off and 
hand in to the coach on the following day a short report on 
the results which they noticed in the game, in regard to 
some particular play, which may be a part of the offensive 
game. Just what they should write in these reports may be 
briefly indicated under three heads : — 



210 FOOTBALL 

(1) What difficulty, if any, did you have in doing the 
work which you were instructed to perform ? 

(2) Was the complete success of the play prevented by 
any man whom you were told to obstruct ? 

(3) What suggestions, if any, can you make whereby the 
lAsij may be improved ? 

In any game, after some play which seems to be especially 
strong has been put against a team, it is often possible, by 
calling for reports from the various players who were op- 
posed to the play, to get valuable information for the defen- 
sive coaching. It will be found, as a general rule, that the 
writing of a report upon any one of the offensive plays of 
the team sharpens the wits of the player, and gives him a 
better insight into his particular duties in the play, and 
the relation of those duties to the success of the movement. 

(8) The Tackling Dummy. This is such a well-known 
accessory of coaching that only a word need here be given 
to the coach regarding it. While necessarily a part of the 
foundation work of the earlier days of the season, it will 
often be found necessary to revert to the dummy work 
whenever the tackling of the team retrogrades, and there is 
reason to believe that the players are losing a little of their 
skill in this direction. 

It must not be forgotten that tackling the dummy is 
individual work, and may be done by the men at any time 
during the day, outside of the practice hours. It is also 
work of such a nature as may be prescribed for certain 
members of the team, while others may, very properly, be 
exempted from it by reason of more important work in 
other directions. 

(9) Quarter-Back Examinations. It is absolutely 
essential that the quarter-back should have instruction in 
the generalship of the game. The most important part of 
his position is the ordering of the plays. Where this work 
is intrusted to his charge he must study the whole question 
of field tactics and football generalship. No book will suc- 
cessfully impart all the necessary information, for this in- 
formation must be adjusted to, and tempered by, the peculiar 
characteristics of the team itself. 



ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 211 

The instruction must be given the quarter-back by the 
coach or captain in conversations, from time to time, and 
when a certain amount of this instruction has been given to 
the quarter-back, it will be a good plan, on some disengaged 
evening, to give him a half-hour examination, covering vari- 
ous points which may arise, and on which, in the game, he 
must pass an almost instantaneous judgment. 

It will be well to have two or three of these quarter-back 
examinations during the latter part of the season. In the 
first one, and perhaps in the second one, the quarter-back 
may be given all the time necessary to write out his answer 
to each question, but in the last examination it is imperative 
that he should be required to give his answer instantly, 
since all his decisions upon the field must be made in this 
manner. The experience of the coach or captain will sug- 
gest many questions for a quarter-back examination, but as 
a possible guide the following may be suggested for the first 
examination : — 

1. Ball on your own eight-yard line ; first down ; what 
will you do ? 

2. Ball on opponents' thirty-five-yard line ; third down ; 
two yards to gain ; what will you do ? 

3. Ball on your own fifteen-yard line ; second down ; six 
yards to gain ; what will you do ? 

4. Ball in centre of field ; second down ; ten yards to 
gain ; what will you do ? 

5. Ball on your own twenty-five-yard line ; third down ; 
one yard to gain ; what will you do ? 

6. Ball on opponents' twenty-four-yard line ; first down ; 
what will you do ? 

7. Ball on your own twenty-yard line ; third down ; half 
a yard to gain ; what will you do ? 

8. Ball on opponents' thirty-yard line ; third down ; four 
yards to gain ; what will you do ? 

9. Ball on your own thirty-five-yard line ; first down ; 
score six to four in your favor; seven minutes more to 
play to end the second half ; no wind ; what will you do ? 

10. What do you consider the value of ball at opening 
of first half, in yards ? 



212 FOOTBALL 

11. What do you regard as most important to know, — 
the weak spot in opponents' line, or the value of your 
different plays ? 

12. If you are able to arrange to send off one play on a 
quick line-up, starting it without signal, would you send 
it round the end, or through the centre, or at the tackles ? 

13. If you win the toss, and take a strong w4nd, are 
there any conditions which would operate to induce you 
to kick regularly at first down ? If so, what ? 

14. "Within what extreme distance from your own goal 
should you deem it expedient to sacrifice all attempts at 
rushing the ball and kick on first down ? 

15. If your first down failed to gain, at what distance 
from your goal should you deem it unwise to defer kick- 
ing until the third down ? 

16. A long run lands ball on opponents' eight-yard line, 
in touch ; if all your plays were equally strong, how far 
would you bring ball in, and what would you play ? 

17. If you unexpectedly lost twenty yards, then fifteen 
yards, and so found yourself suddenly on your own fif- 
teen-yard line, with the team somewhat rattled by the 
rapidity of these movements, does it occur to you that 
anything beside talking could be done by you to pull your 
men together ? If so, what ? 

18. The score is four to nothing against you. You are 
within one minute of the close of the second half; the 
ball is in your possession on the opponents' forty-yard 
line ; the first down has resulted in no gain ; what will 
you order for the second down ? 

(10) Locating Men at the Hole in the Line to show 
where Runner is to go, and Practise Making Opening. 
A great deal of the practice ^f any team toward the close 
of the season is that which is generally known by the title 
of " running through signals." Where this signal work is 
done upon the field, it is usually conducted in a more system- 
atic and thorough manner than when in the gymnasium in 
the evening. In the latter case the practice is mainly for 
instant recalling of the meaning of the signal itself, but sig- 
nal practice on the field is usually undertaken for a different 



ACCESSOEIES OF COACHING 213 

end. It is then intended by such practice to subserve the 
more important work of " shapening up " the plays, getting 
the different members accustomed to their positions, uniting 
the interferences quickly and correctly, and generally com- 
bining precision with speed in all offensive movements. 

It is at such times that it is an excellent plan to locate 
men as supposed opponents (say two line men and one 
at the part of the line where the hole is to be made, back) 
and call upon your forwards to actually make the hole in 
every case. Of course the opponents are required to move 
from point to point in the line as the signal is called, 
and they, of course, know exactly where the play is to 
be. It is not required of them that they will stop the 
play, but that they will make such a demonstration (re- 
sembling the probable efforts of the opponents) as will give 
your own forwards practice in opening up a hole, and to 
reveal to your runner exactly where the opening is likely to 
be in the line. 

Every coach realizes that a good game is often lost by 
the runner repeatedly striking the line a little to one or the 
other side of the exact spot where he ought to have pierced 
the line, and this error in locating the exact spot of opening 
will, unless it is corrected, continue through the entire sea- 
son. Thus the results of a particular play may be very 
unsatisfactory, and the play itself may be subjected to much 
condemnation, when the whole difficulty lies merely in the 
runner not realizing that his hole lies a little farther out 
than the spot where he usually strikes the line. 

It will be interesting to the coach who has not before 
made such an observation to notice how constantly a runner 
moves over exactly the same track in a particular play, and 
we have, in our experience, seen many cases in which the 
whole character of the play, so far as its results were con- 
cerned, was materially changed by the help which a coach 
has received from this simple accessory to his work. 

Of course, the men who are acting as opponents need never 
throw the runner to the ground. It is enough that they sim- 
ply tackle him. The runner, in this method of practice, 
should go a trifle farther than merely through the line, in 



214 FOOTBALL 

order to be sure that lie is not going to be stopped from 
behind by one of the opponents turning and overtaking him. 

(11) General Exarainations on Rules. This, although 
a very simple thing, is (piite a necessary adjunct to the reg- 
ular coaching upon the field. Frequent talks with the play- 
ers would accomplish the same end as a set examination, but 
inasmuch as whatever is worth doing is worth doing well, 
and since conversations, which can always be indulged in, 
are usually rarely indulged in, it is well to have these exam- 
inations rather more frequently, and devote to them a spe- 
cially appointed time. Members of the team should be Sup- 
plied with pencil and paper, and they should be called upon 
to answer in writing from half a dozen to ten questions cov- 
ering the various points in the rules. One or two of these 
examinations, if the questions are carefully prepared, will 
show whether any further work along this line is needed. 

(12) Signal Rehearsals. It is to be assumed that every 
coach will insist upon a certain amount of signal rehearsing, 
at odd times, especially toward the close of the season, and 
immediately before important games. All the various plays 
have then been properly inventoried and filed away in the 
quarter-back's mind. It is for the coach to make sure that 
the team so thoroughly knows the various movements that 
no amount of confusion, excitement, or noise upon the field 
can so far distract their attention, that the mental process of 
instantly determining what play has been called for shall 
not go on without hindrance or accident. Signals must be 
so continually rehearsed by the team that the calling of any 
signal is almost like the actual explanation by the quarter- 
back of the play which he wishes to have made. In other 
words the interpretation of the meaning of the signal must 
be as quick as a flash. 

In some of the largest college teams it is not impossible 
that great advantage may accrue from having a test made 
upon the various players, to the end of ascertaining the quick- 
ness with which each man acts upon impressions made upon 
his mind. The director of the psychological department of 
any one of the leading colleges, where the necessary appa- 
ratus is available, can fully explain to the coach the method 



ACCESSORIES OF COACHING 215 

by which this test can be made, and provide the means of 
making it. 

Need of Strict Officials in Late Practice. The scope 
of this chapter may fairly justify a few words upon the ne- 
cessity of securing capable and strict officials during the last 
fortnight of practice. For obvious reasons, the work of the 
officials during the practice in the earlier part of the season 
is necessarily lax. It would be too much of an interruption 
to the work of the coach if, in the short intervals of practice, 
the penalties of the referee or umpire were continually en- 
forced. 

But inasmuch as this portion of the work is slighted in the 
early part of the season, it is quite necessary that the coach 
should not forget its importance in the latter part. The team, 
then, is playing together more continuously; in practice 
there are fewer interruptions, and there is practically only 
one coach upon the field who is handling the team. In other 
words, there is only one man who is stopping the play to 
issue directions or impart instruction. It is proper and alto- 
gether advisable that the work of the officials should, at this 
point, be emphasized. Let the regular penalties be imposed, 
and let a second penalty for the same offense be always ac- 
companied by a severe reprimand to the offending player. 

At the end of the afternoon's practice a little consultation 
between the officials and the coach will be wise. The offi- 
cials can then give to the coach the consensus of their ob- 
servations during the afternoon, and he can speak the few 
words to the various players in private, after the practice is 
over, in regard to the faults for which penalties have been 
inflicted. The coach should insist that the rulings of the 
officials in this late practice shall be of the very strictest sort. 
To enter an important game and find that the rulings are less 
strict than the players have been accustomed to is no serious 
obstacle to their work ; but many a team has been discour- 
aged and disheartened in the first fifteen minutes of an im- 
portant game by the repeated penalizing of some player for 
an offense which, whether real or fancied, has the same dis- 
astrous result. By all means let this point be covered in the 
late practice. 



CHAPTER III 

CHOOSING THE TEAM 

Secret of Success. One of the best coaches of singularly- 
successful teams said once, in a moment of confidence, that 
the eventual result of the season's work depended almost en- 
tirely upon the ability to select in the first two weeks the 
fifteen best men in the university. He added, furthermore, 
that of the fifteen thus selected the chances would be that 
five of them had never played on a 'Varsity team before. 

He followed this up with this statement : that, although 
no one save the coach would know who those fifteen were, it 
was upon them that every ounce of energy should be there- 
after concentrated by the head coach or his assistants, so that 
the men who finally went into the game were certain, with 
few rare exceptions, to have had every possible advantage 
given them for the entire season. 

This man was especially a coach of rush-line men, and 
never failed to produce what is technically known as a " stiff 
line." There is little doubt that, had he been called upon to 
bring out the backs, he would have been equally successful, 
for he has a grasp upon this fundamental fact : that a foot- 
ball player cannot be made in a day or a week, and that, at 
the pace set to-day among the first-class elevens, that team 
which has had all its men well coached from the first of the 
season to the last practice will surely pull out ahead of the 
team of whom only two thirds have had the full amount of 
proper attention. In no sport do bad habits so persistently 
crop out if not daily corrected, and in no sport do these mis- 
takes seem so trifling up to mid-season, or so painfully marked 
in the final games. In a crew, serious faults must be handled 
early ; a later recurrence of them in mid-season in individuals 
is then at once pronounced ; in fact, the whole swing is so 



CHOOSING THE TEAM 217 

affected that the matter is at once apparent to the eye of the 
practical coach. But in football there is so much more in- 
dividuality that the faults may escape almost unnoticed until 
emphasized in the strain of an important match. Then it is 
too late to do more than regret the result. 

Qualifications of a Good Man. What qualifications 
should a good man have ? These have been rehearsed over 
and over again, but it is always well to hear them just once 
more. Courage — " sand/' as the slang term has it — is the 
first. And by this is not meant unreasoning recklessness, 
nor mere toughness of nerve, but that kind of courage which, 
while recognizing the danger, feeling the hurt, or seeing the 
impending defeat, is none the less ready to face the chance, 
to ignore the pain, and to carry a good heart to believe that 
the defeat may be turned into victory. There are some men 
who refuse to be beaten, who come up smiling every time, 
but grow more and more determined after every mishap. A 
captain and coach can usually tell with fair judgment about 
the men who have played under their eyes for a season or 
so, but the new men and some of the old substitutes may be 
more of an unknown quantity. 

Diagnosing. A good coach can be of the greatest service 
in the first day or two in diagnosing this quality of courage, 
and the more good men who watch the team during the first 
week, the better. Then, at a meeting of the advisers held at 
the end of the first week, the characters of the candidates 
should receive a very thorough sifting upon this cardinal 
point. It is well to become possessed of the earlier history 
of any of these men, where that is possible, because from 
this much can be determined. The old saying, " Blood will 
tell," is true here as in other football characteristics. Such 
names as the Traffords, the Riggs, the Poes, and the Blisses 
come at once to one's memory as examples. To-day many of 
our players come from preparatory schools, where their rec- 
ords are easily obtainable. So far as the skill of their play- 
ing is concerned, these records are not, perhaps, of great 
value, since the conditions are very different from those of 
'Varsity work, but upon this one point of courage, the boy 
will have shown at the " prep " school what his rating ought 



218 FOOTBALL 

to be in that respect. It may seem like taking infinite trou- 
ble to look up all this matter, but taking pains often proves 
the turning-point in the scales when the final day comes ; 
and surely it is wisdom to expend the coaching upon men 
who, when they learn to play, will play their hearts out 
rather than quit, instead of wasting months upon a man who 
funks at the critical moment. Some men are born cowards, 
and cannot face grief ; such men may prove showy players 
in practice when facing men they know, but in a game 
against strangers, when every play is in deadly earnest, may 
lose their nerve completely. 

Inventiveness a Necessity. The next most important 
qualification of the player, and one that must be looked for 
in. the early days of practice, is inventiveness or adaptability 
to changing circumstances. This is especially true of for- 
wards. A man who, during the first week, is continually 
fooled by the same stratagem, a man who always blocks in 
just one way, and who goes through with such unvarying 
regularity of method that the opponents know exactly what 
he is going to do, and at what point in the line to expect him 
each time, is wanting in a characteristic that the successful 
rusher must naturally possess. Men may be coached to per- 
form their work in a variety of ways, but, unless they possess 
some inventiveness of their own, they will never rise above 
the mediocre. It is a study in itself to watch the line men 
during the first week of a season. Two thirds of them go 
about their work in a set way, push hard, grunt, and struggle, 
but accomplish little. Here and there, however, stands out 
one who becomes a veritable terror to his opponents, who is 
always doing something new — something almost untradi- 
tional in the limited view of his fellows. He does n't always 
run straight into his opponent and try to push him over. He 
tries strange jumps, he is abnormally quiet for a moment, 
but, just as his vis-a-vis is drawing a long sigh of relief, his 
erratic friend has bumped him unexpectedly, and goes clean 
through at the runner. " Who let that man through ? " 
groans out the captain, and the offender hangs his head. 

Strength and Ability. After these two points, strength 
and ability should be noted. The former is easily discover- 



CHOOSING THE TEAM 219 

able in line men from the way they hold themselves after 
some minutes of hard work. The strong man is as able to 
assume a stooping position, after ten minutes of hard work, 
as at the start, while the man who is weak will be straighten- 
ing up to rest himself sometimes, even almost at the moment 
when the ball is put in play. The man who has good legs 
will be pushing with them every time, while the man whose 
legs are a bit shaky will be manifestly sparing himself. The 
man with the good back will be tossing his weaker opponent 
as the play goes on. 

Agility. As to agility, the tests for this are less marked, 
because, while a line man ought always to be exerting his 
strength at every down, there are times when not to move 
quickly is an advantage, and so, although able to do this, he 
will simply block '' solid," and be almost stationary in his 
tracks. Continued watching will soon convince the coach, 
however, whether the man is using judgment in this respect 
or is only naturally slow and ponderous. (From all this 
talk of line men the ends are to be excepted. They class 
rather with the half-backs, and a different set of tests should 
be applied to their work.) The rushers should also be 
watched separately for their blocking and breaking through. 

How to Watch a Team. An excellent way of passing 
judgment upon these points is to stand in line with the rush 
line on every down and begin by watching the men who come 
through. Kote which man comes through most quickly and 
reaches the farthest point before the runner strikes him or 
the line. Then reverse the observation and see which man is 
generally blocked. Then take up the blocking and see whose 
man comes through most quickly and whose man is effec- 
tively blocked. Two men should watch these points and take 
notes throughout two or three days, and then summarize 
these notes. After these questions of strength and agility 
comes the one of ability to learn. In the first week every 
man should receive some (even if only a little) coaching ; 
not so much for the good it will do him as to see how much 
of it he can digest and make use of. It is folly to take up 
a man who shows in the first week that he cannot learn. 
Some men are slow, but not stupid. Such men may not 



220 FOOTBALL 

readily adapt themselves, but let them once grasp a point 
and they never forget it. It is better to have such a man 
than the stupid one who forgets what he has been told as 
soon as he is left alone. Later in the season the coaches 
have no time to waste in beginning over with the men. 

Judging Men Behind the Line. In passing judgment 
upon men behind the line the problems are not so simple, 
but for all that there is seldom any candidate who cannot be 
fairly gauged in a week or ten days. In the first place, a 
quarter-back is even more liable to expose his lack of mus- 
cular strength than the line men, if one watches his position 
in getting the ball. Here the strength of back and legs 
count greatly. It is a rather remarkable fact that candi- 
dates for quarter almost invariably possess plenty of " sand." 
Probably it is because, if they did n't, every one — even the 
casual spectator — would discover it in a half hour. Agility 
they are also likely to possess. But strength and inventive- 
ness and adaptability are not so common, and are the features 
of their play, therefore, to be especially watched. Observe 
whether the quarter knows what to do when his line is 
weak, and whether he can extricate himself from the annoy- 
ances of having a guard shoved over upon him or another 
reaching him through some break in the line. Note if he can 
help hold a line after the ball is passed when such a thing is 
rendered necessary by the rapid breaking through of a strong 
centre or guard. See if he can change his pass when its 
speed or slowness bothers the recipient. 

Shiftiness in Backs. In the backs we must look for 
courage, strength, and something that perhaps had best be 
called " shiftiness," that is, the ability to act under suddenly 
altered conditions, — to decide on the instant, and to follow 
the decision immediately with the action. The things that 
will indicate these points may be grouped as follows. Under 
strength, note the ability to keep the feet, the play of the 
body and shoulders in throAving off men, and the strength of 
back in forcing ahead when tackled and falling always for- 
ward. " Sand " can readily be seen in the way a man takes 
his opening and his willingness to take it again even if the 
hole was a poor one. Shiftiness is distinguishable in back- 



CHOOSING THE TEAM 221 

ing up fumbles, in dodging after getting through clean, and in 
finding his interferers, even though they run wild all over 
the field. While it may happen that a good man may not be 
sure of his catch in the early part of the season, it is a pretty 
sound rule that if a back or half-back cannot get squarely 
under a ball in the first days of practice, he will make but 
an indifferent catcher always. It may be that his judgment 
of distance is at fault, and in that case it will be a hard 
matter to conquer. On the other hand, a man who gets 
squarely under the ball and allows it to bound from his arms 
can usually be made a sure catcher later. This is worth 
remembering in the early judgment of players. 

General Observations of First Week. There are a few 
other general observations which should be made in the first 
week in order to determine upon the fifteen or twenty men 
who should have special attention. First among these is 
the question as to liability to injury. Here, again, previous 
records should be consulted. A strange instance of the value 
of this was exhibited in the case of two brothers, both excel- 
lent general athletes, who were candidates for a football team 
in one of the universities. The elder brother made the team 
his first year and played during the season, but in the final 
game received a slight fracture of the clavicle. The younger 
brother fractured a clavicle early in the season. Both were 
exceptionally plucky fellows — the former, after the acci- 
dent, actually playing out the game, as his injury was not 
diagnosed until after the match was over. The next year 
the younger brother was almost outstripping the elder, and 
was certain of a place, when a week before the final match 
he fractured the other clavicle by a fall upon his shoulder. 
There is little question but that both boys were peculiarly 
liable to this injury, for, while otherwise very strongly built, 
the clavicle in each was not as strong proportionately as the 
muscular development would have led one to expect. In 
none of the three cases of injury was the fall or blow a 
severe one. There was no other tendency to injury notice- 
able in either of the boys. 

Fragile Men Dangerous to Rely Upon. But to return. 
Some players, while not apparently fragile, are in some unac- 



222 FOOTBALL 

countable way awkward in taking falls, or the ligaments 
about the joints are not sufficiently tense, or for some un- 
known reason they are continually on the cripple list. Such 
men are dangerous to depend upon, and if selected it should 
be owing to the fact that their play is very much above the 
average — sufficiently so to run the risk. Another point to be 
noted here is the effect of the early work. If a man, out- 
side of an incapacitating injury, stands the work of the first 
week well, is on hand every day, and is markedly eager to 
be playing, it is an indication that his general condition and 
his muscular system are both good. The reverse of this is, 
however, not always to be reckoned upon as true, for a man 
may be a promising candidate, and yet stand the first few 
days badly. The light-weight candidates should be weighed 
after the first day's practice, and again at the end of a week. 
A man who, already light, goes off rapidly, is pretty sure to 
prove a highly strung plaj^er, with a decided tendency to 
overtraining, and, if he be selected, especial attention should 
be paid to this danger. 

Love of the Game a Good Quality. Another thing 
worth noting is the enjoyment of the sport as a game. Old 
players may not exhibit this, but a new player who is likely 
to become a good man likes to have his side win, or make 
good ground, even in practice, and when he gets near a goal he 
plays with more dash and abandon, and is a fighter for every 
inch. Such spirit should not be overlooked, for oftentimes 
it happens that a team of old players are woefully lacking in 
that regard, and many a final game is lost because there is 
not enough of this kind of spirit in the eleven to carry it 
over the tight spots where experience and skill fail to make 
the necessary distance. 

Making Up the List. Having passed the first week or 
ten days, and having carefully considered all these points, 
the coach should make up his list of fifteen or twenty players, 
and, while not giving out who they are, he should see to it 
that each one of them has especial coaching continually — 
that not a day goes by when any of these men passes an 
afternoon on the field without careful attention from himself 
or from one of his coachincr staff. Of course this does not 



CHOOSING THE TEAM 223 

mean a neglect of the other candidates. He will need many 
more before his season is completed, but let him never lose 
sight of one of these first-choice men until that man is laid 
by for good. About mid-season it is time for him to take 
another inventory of his stock. He should then, with the 
added light he has gained, be able to make a selection of 
fifteen or twenty, which will include some new material, 
perhaps through the dropping out of some of his first list. 
About three weeks before the final game he can determine 
the ones to take into the great match. There is much diver- 
gence of opinion as to whether the men should be told di- 
rectly. Generally it is sufficient indication to play them 
together as much as possible, and it avoids the difficulty of 
overconfidence of some and discouragement of others, to 
have it understood that the team will not be finally selected 
until the last moment. That, however, is no reason for not 
playing the pick of the men regularly. Good discipline 
sometimes requires a change upon the field during practice 
if a first eleven man is playing poorly and his opponent unus- 
ually well. 

Final Selection. Coming now to the question of final 
selection. In another chapter we have treated of the points 
to be considered on the eve of the battle, but this selection 
is supposed to be prior to that. The cardinal principle to 
be observed is that of elimination. Take no man into the 
game who is slow for his position. This question is usu- 
ally as to ends and halves. An end may be a wonder in all 
other points, but, if he lack speed, there may come a time 
when he is circled and then he cannot overtake his man. 
The same is true of the halves. It does not require a ten 
second man for an end or a half ; but it does need a man who 
can overtake any ordinary runner who has the ball. Don't 
take any man in who cannot control his temper. He will 
fail you at the critical moment by not obeying orders. A 
writer upon cycling themes says regarding tandem riding : 
" Do not take any novice out on a tandem unless he under- 
stands the Yale football principle of not trying to run the 
machine." A man who loses his temper will try to run the 
machine when it means a smash-up surely. Do not take any 



224 FOOTBALL 

niau in who, aside from injuries either old or prospective, is 
not physically good to last out the two halves. You may want 
to use him the most when he has " bellows to mend." No 
matter what it costs in the way of the loss of otherwise good 
men, take but two men in back of the line who are not dead 
sure catchers. Of the four, two must be absolutely certain, 
so far as you are able to judge, of holding a fly. Do not 
take a centre in who is erratic in his snapping, nor a quarter 
who cannot hold the ball when the opponents are through. 
Finally, take no man in at any position who is not thoroughly 
unselfish in his play, who has any thought of grand-stand 
work. If you do he will lose you a touch-down by trying to 
pick up the ball when he ought to fall on it. 



CHAPTER IV 

THE POLICY FOR THE SEASON 

What a Policy should Mean. The ability to direct 
an intelligent and consistent policy during an entire season 
is one of the most important qualities of the successful 
coach. 

As in a business requiring a broad grasp of the constantly 
changing situation, success can only be attained through the 
vigorous and fearless yet prudent course of the manager or 
head, so in the case of a team, the coach must be mentally a 
strong enough man to keep a firm hold of his lines, and 
direct all men and acts towards his one preconceived end. 
A vacillating policy will wreck the strongest team, even 
more certainly than an ill-judged one, because, in the case 
of the latter, with the abundance of material usually at 
hand, and the infinite variety of tactics possible, a policy 
firmly adhered to will, nine times out of ten, bring forth, 
not perhaps a brilliant, yet a rugged and determined team. 
On the other hand, a vacillating, constantly altering plan 
of campaign produces a team that has neither knowledge 
nor confidence, and one that is as good as beaten before the 
kick-off. 

Self -Reliance of Coach. A coach cannot always, in the 
matter of policy, depend upon his assistants. He must stand 
alone in many respects. He cannot trust his advisers, be- 
cause there are usually several of them whose backbones are 
of the jellyfish order, and who cannot endure criticism. 
Such men should certainly not be informed regarding the 
full intent of the head coach at critical times, because they 
will hamper, rather than assist his actions. A coach may, 
after a careful study of the situation, decide that he must, in 
order to attain satisfactory results, overthrow many of the 



226 FOOTBALL 

methods formerly in force, upset many, perhaps, of the most 
honored traditions, and likely enough drop off one or two of 
the most revered players. It is seldom the part of wisdom 
to do all this at once. Such a step might end in so great a 
difference of opinion as to split up the team and the univer- 
sity into factions, and so the season would prove a failure. 
It is the duty of the coach to accomplish his end with dis- 
cretion; he should understand thoroughly what he has in 
view, and his reasons for it, and then quietly proceed to bring 
about the result. When accomplished, it will frequently 
meet with the full approval of even those whom it has robbed 
of an opportunity to take active parts. 

Spare "Weak-Kneed Friends. The fact that we use this 
rather extreme illustration need not alarm the intending 
coach. The situation is seldom as serious as this. But it is 
well for him to keep his own counsel as to questions of policy 
that are likely to be too heavy for weak-kneed friends to 
carry even in their minds, while he may freely discuss any 
minor point, the settlement of which requires only ordinary 
judgment and football experience. Furthermore, there is an 
open part of his counsel and direction that is very important, 
and that should be thoroughly understood and carried out by 
every member of his coaching staff, and by his captain. This 
has been, by general acceptance, designated as the policy of 
the season. 

General Lay-Out of Coaching Lines. Under this head 
comes first : The laying out of coaching lines. Here he must 
make himself familiar, if he be not already so, with the dis- 
tinguishing abilities of every man whom he can secure as an 
assistant. The trainer and medical adviser are two people 
of great importance to him. He must determine where their 
duties are likely to clash, and settle at the outset the ques- 
tion of precedence. It is hardly necessar}^ to state that the 
medical adviser's word should be paramount in all cases 
requiring expert knowledge, while it is probable that the 
trainer can supplement the regular practitioner's skill by 
various ingenious devices for hastening the recovery in minor 
sprains and bruises. The physician, for instance, especially 
if he has had little practical experience with football men, 



THE POLICY FOR THE SEASON 227 

will usually err on the safe side of reconnnending rest. Eest 
is probably the surest cure, but the man may be wanted. 
Then the physician should be willing to concede a point and 
cooperate with the trainer in hastening a partial state of 
recovery sufficient to make it possible to use the man, pro- 
vided, of course, no serious results are likely to follow. 
There ought never to be, under a judicious coach, any trouble 
in reconciling the opinions of the two, and making the most 
of the services of both. 

Coaches for Specialties. Among his other coaches he 
will find that he has men who are capital teachers of some 
one or two points, but who are, unfortunately, firmly of the 
opinion that they know all about the various other depart- 
ments of the play. He must judiciously apportion the duties 
so that each man may perform those for which he is especially 
fitted. He ought to be able to secure three line coaches at 
least, — one for the centre and guards, one for the tackles, 
and one for the ends. He should also have two men for the 
backs, one of whom should be able to coach the quarter and 
the general running game, while the other should be a kick- 
ing coach. 

Size of Staff. A staff of five men is by no means a large 
one, and is usually supplemented by several others. In that 
case there can advantageously be a division of duties as fol- 
lows : One man shall be responsible for the defensive work 
of the team ; another for the offensive. If further division 
is practicable, it may be almost infinitely multiplied along 
the lines of blocking, interfering, getting through, tackling, 
and the like. If the staff be small, the men may be handled 
in some such way as this : with three men, let one look 
after the individual work of the line, including the tackling, 
blocking, and getting through ; let another look after the 
backs, the interferers, and offensive tactics ; and let the third 
attend solely to the defense. 

Bach Day Lay Out "Work for Following Day. The 
coach should, with his advisers, lay out each day the work 
that is to be performed upon the following day, so that there 
may be no wasted time on the field, and no discussion of 
plans there. The schedule should be arranged the evening 



228 FOOTBALL 

before, and each man of the coaching staff should know 
exactly what is expected of him. In the early part of the 
season this is simple enough, but it becomes more compli- 
cated as the weeks go by, and when the time comes for the 
development of special team play, and the exploitation of 
intricate plays, it requires all the time the coach can put on 
it merely to lay out the work for his staff. 

Discipline. Secondly comes discipline. Discipline should 
receive the very earliest consideration. If there be not an es- 
tablished tradition strong enough to absolutely prevent any- 
thing like " talking back " to the coaches, such a rule should 
be put in effect, and with sufficient severity to kill once for 
all any such tendency. It may be necessary to make an 
example by summarily dropping one such offender, in order 
to insure instant and unquestioning obedience. A man 
should not be permitted even to make excuses. If he has 
anything to say, it should be said to the coach in private off 
the field, and any inquiries that partake of even the appear- 
ance of questioning a coach's decision should be asked when 
off, rather than on the field. 

Extension and Scope. The discipline should extend 
much farther than this. It should insure the prompt appear- 
ance on the field daily of every candidate properly dressed. 
If there be any reason why the man should not play, he 
should so inform the coach the evening before, or if that be 
rendered impossible for any reason, he should — even if the 
reason be illness or accident — be on the field in uniform, 
and thus convince the coach of his good intentions by his 
presence until excused. There is no greater element of 
danger than that found in a team where a man can stay 
away or wait until the time comes for play, without putting 
the coach in full possession of the reasons for his delin- 
quency. And habitual tardiness at practice is equally bad. 

A team should also be required from the very earliest days 
to line up instantly on the call of the coach, and always to 
take their positions on the run after a try-at-goal, a touch- 
back, a safety, or any call of time. The men should be so 
educated and disciplined that it becomes second nature to 
them to get in position on the jump, and to be alert and 



THE POLICY FOR THE SEASON 229 

active every moment while the line-up lasts. After the first 
two weeks the play must always be fast. It is better on this 
account not to stop the play for trivial faults, but to coach 
while the play is going on, or make such notes as will ren- 
der it possible to coach the individual between the calls of 
play, or after the practice ends. To be continually waiting 
for coaching spoils a team in many ways other than that of 
slowing up their game. It makes them dependent and lack- 
ing in decisiveness of play. They constantly show a hesi- 
tancy of execution even after they are lined up and ready to 
begin. 

Period of Progress. And this leads us to the subject, 
thirdly, of the development of the team, and how a wise 
policy should carefully map out the various periods of pro- 
gress and see that the team is kept up to these lines. For 
fast play a team should be tested occasionally by the drop- 
ping of all coaching and the keeping up of a steady drive 
for five minutes. This will break them up a bit, if tried 
when the practice is only two weeks advanced, but at four 
weeks it ought not to affect the accuracy of their play in 
the least. Allowance must always be made, however, in 
case there is a new man on the team, or if there exists 
any other reason for inaccuracy aside from the mere speed 
of the play. 

Tackling, Blocking, and Breaking Through. As to 
tackling, there should be no high tackling noticeable after 
the third week, and a case of really bad play in this respect 
should be made an occasion for something more than pass- 
ing mention. It will be well to make an example of such a 
case for the good of the team. 

In blocking and breaking through, as the second eleven 
improves equally, the apparent progress is slow, and it may 
not be until well into ]N"ovember that the first eleven will 
show a steady and constant superiority in this respect. 
During the first week or ten days they are noticeably in 
advance of the second eleven, but this is followed by a 
period when the two teams become fairly well matched, — 
perhaps on account of the greater effort exhibited at this 
stage by the second eleven men. After a time, however, 



2o0 FOOTBALL 

the lirst should once more show their advance and keep it 
up until the end. 

Relation of Defensive to Offensive at Different 
Periods. Defensive play should be outstripped by the 
olfensive play for the first two or three weeks. Then the 
defensive should become the better of the two, followed 
again by an advance of the offensive when the final plays 
are adopted and perfected. We mention these peculiarities 
of improvement and apparent retrograding, in order that 
the coach may not take them too seriously when they arrive. 
There is a good reason behind each advance or retreat of this 
nature, and it is not one which need cause any alarm. 

Indeed, this state of affairs is by no means remarkable 
when one considers the conditions. Take the case just 
cited as an illustration. During the first part of the season 
there is much more enthusiasm put into the offensive play ; 
each man is then trying to make a record for himself, and 
naturally feels that there is much more chance for display 
in the offensive than defensive part of the work. Then 
coaching begins to tell, and by mid-season the defense has 
been so built up and strengthened that that part of the 
play is strongly accented. And then, finally, comes the per- 
fection of team attack, which crushes the defense down by 
sheer systematic pressure and makes way over or through 
the defenders. 

Mid-Season Period of Depression. In commenting 
upon the policy for a season one ought not to omit to warn 
the coach against a certain period which seems to come at 
some time in the season, usually about November first, when 
the team seems " going to the dogs," when the whole sea- 
son's coaching has apparently been wasted, and when both 
captain and players feel that they are simply useless. 
There is a reason for this state of affairs, and a good rea- 
son, too. It is by no means as bad as it looks, and is 
brought about in a way quite easy to understand. It is 
really nothing to be alarmed at, so long a)g it does not last 
too many days. The situation is simply this : During the 
first part of the season the men have a lot of enthusiasm ; 
the eager struggle to improve and to win a place on the 




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'2S2 FOOTBALL 

team stirs even the most sluggish. By the end of October, 
however, the men are beginning to realize who have the best 
chances ; some are even ready to rest on their already won 
laurels ; upon others the pursuit has palled ; and altogether 
there is no especial stimulus left. This state of affairs 
usually comes before the coaching has really had a fair 
chance to exhibit results, and the men are, therefore, just 
between two stages. The first stage is that of fairly good 
play, as brought about by enthusiasm and life and dash; 
the second is the stage to which they have not yet attained, 
of really good play on a basis of knowledge and skill. It 
is not necessary to do more than tell the coach that inside 
of a week the men will probably be in the second stage, and 
his short period of despair will be at an end. 

Time of Line-Ups. In determining the amount of time 
the line-ups should last each day, the coach must remember 
that it is out of the question to expect the best work from 
the men in two consecutive days of hard long practice. It 
is occasionally advisable — in fact, necessary — to give the 
men a " trying out," as it were, by a long practice of fully an 
hour. There may be some good reason why, in mid-season, 
this should be repeated on the following day. But if there 
be such a reason, there is at least no ground for a coach to 
expect to get good work out of the team on the second day, 
and his criticism and fault-finding should be judicious, and 
tempered by reason and mercy. 

New Coaches and New Judgments. The coach 
should so arrange his system that he may have, about once 
in two weeks, the addition of one or more new coaches. 
One of the strongest reasons for this is that the men may 
have become accustomed to the voices and ways of the 
familiar coaches, and the effect of their criticism is, there- 
fore, lessened. Often a new voice and new manner of 
coaching will stir them up to better performance. The 
coach should also have a man or two in reserve who does 
not see the team frequently, who may be a fair judge of the 
actual progress made, and who will often discover some fault 
that has crept in, unknown and unnoticed by those who are 
with the team every day. 



THE POLICY FOR THE SEASON 233 

Order of Games. Fourthly, in arranging the dates of 
the matches, especial attention should be paid to the order 
in which they follow each other. The best arrangement 
possible is a progressive one, meeting the weak teams first, 
and gradually working up to the strongest with an interval 
containing but one game, and that with a weak team, 
between the last hard game and final match. Where such 
an arrangement is impracticable, the alternation of a hard 
and a light game should be sought for. 

Selection of Plays and Control of Score. In playing 
these matches the team, or rather the team through the 
captain and quarter, should be given a schedule of what 
plays are to be tried in each game, and how far to go in 
methods. A team should never be allowed to "play off," 
no matter what the reason. If it be desirable — and this is 
seldom the case — to keep the score down, it should be done 
by confining the number and variety of plays they are to 
attempt, and in no other way. A team once allowed to 
" play off " is not to be trusted, and is a good team to play 
against. Nor should men be jout on and told to "play 
easy." A man may be saved by telling him what plays not 
to attempt, and he may also be taken absolutely out of all 
interference if that seem advisable. He may be put in to 
kick, and that only. But whatever he does must be done 
with all his might, and what he is told to avoid must be 
entirely dropped. Otherwise you retard his advancement, 
and will probably have him laid up into the bargain. 

Practice under Umpire. All practice should be done 
under an umpire, who may act also as referee. From the 
early part of the season he should always call fouls, and his 
word should be as much undisputed law as it would be in a 
match. For the last two weeks it is well to have two differ- 
ent umpires, — a referee is hardly necessary, — who shall 
keep as close a watch as possible for every indication of 
holding and off-side play. 

Quarrels. Should any difference of opinion arise at any 
time in practice or off the field between the players, con- 
sideration should be given to it at once by the head coach 
and the matter adjusted. It should not be permitted to 



234 FOOTBALL 

gather force. There is no greater element of success than 
a thorough and hearty sympathy between the players, and a 
coach should exercise his ingenuity to the utmost to secure 
this. 

The same is true regarding differences among the coaches, 
save that in that event it may be necessary to let one of the 
coaches go. It is seldom so serious among the players. But 
with the coaches there may be a rupture of such a nature 
as to make such a step advisable. Harmony at all hazards 
must be the rule. 

Personal Fixhortation. There is one thing that we have 
not thus far touched upon in the policy of the head coach, 
and that is the element of personal and private exhortation. 
The head coach must do some of this himself, but his assist- 
ants should also perform a great deal of missionary work, both 
directly and indirectly. Some players must be talked with 
almost daily ; some must be approached in addition through 
their friends and acquaintances. A man often reaches the 
point when he believes that the coach only talks to him from 
force of habit ; that his play is as good as the next man's ; 
and he loses all respect for the criticism of the coach. It is 
hardly a case for discipline, but rather for personal interven- 
tion by intimate friends. Often the man is a good man, 
means well and all that, but he has grown careless, and his 
friends can show him this without offense and more forcibly 
even than the coach. In a word, the head coach must make 
use of all means to point out to the players their weaknesses, 
and must then see that the information as to how to recon- 
struct their play is conveyed in the most effective way, and 
often in a variety of ways. 



CHAPTER V 

TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 

The Need of Such Tests. It is quite necessary that, 
at various times during the season, the coach should obtain 
an accurate idea of the development of the team, that he may 
see just where he ought to apply his immediate efforts. His 
own observations will teach him more than anything else ; 
but there is, inevitably, much which he will overlook, partly 
from inability to give attention at all points, and partly be- 
cause he is of necessity so close to the work of the team from 
day to day that he is unable to get a correct general estimate, 
which those who only see the team occasionally will often 
readily make. 

As a help to his own observations, the criticisms of these 
casual visitors are always to be desired ; but, beyond this, it 
is possible for the coach himself to apply certain tests to the 
development of the team from week to week which will show 
him latent weaknesses, or give him the welcome assurance 
that his efforts are proving successful. 

With the aim of helping the coach, we will suggest certain 
salient features which should be carefully watched, outlining 
a dozen or more different tests which may be applied to the 
work of the team at stated intervals during the season ; tests 
which will reveal much regarding its development along dif- 
ferent lines. 

(1) Test of a Weak Centre. It very often happens 
that, in the hurry of preparation for the earlier games of 
the season, the groundwork and fundamentals are not thor- 
oughly imparted to the players. In other words, the ele- 
mentary coaching has not been well grounded, and serious 
faults may be lurking below the surface of the play. One 
of the most serious of these faults, which sometimes, by a 



236 FOOTBALL 

curious obstinacy, refuses to show itself until the season is 
well advanced (and then appears with positive malignity), 
is a weakness in the centre. 

The first indications of this weakness are often evident 
to the practised observer before the coach detects its exist- 
ence, by reasoning backward from their unfortunate results. 
For example : some play which is being tried will fail to 
work successfully ; the coach knows that this play has been 
thoroughly tested by other elevens, and worked well, and he 
is naturally at a loss to understand why it does not work 
now. Following rapidly upon his perplexity, as if to add to 
the troubles of the situation, other plays which the team has 
been working with fair success now begin to show no gains ; 
the runner is tackled time after time, without any advances. 
Apparently there is no explanation of the cause of this trou- 
ble, but its real cause lies in the weakness of the centre, and 
the first indications of this weakness might have been noticed 
by the expert coach days and weeks before, by noting carefully 
the result of the first impact between the two opposing lines 
of forwards, whenever the ball was put in play, the coach 
standing a little beyond the end of the line, and watching 
the three centre men closely. From this position he ought 
properly to see nothing more remarkable than the immediate 
engagement of the centre men with their opponents, with no 
yielding of the line for an appreciable interval after the ball 
has been put in play. Strictly speaking, neither side should 
be driven back (unless the play is an attack upon the centre), 
but both lines at this point should maintain the integrity of 
their position, without being forced, for at least an interval 
of from one and a half to two seconds after the ball has been 
snapped. The weakness in the centre, which develops in the 
middle or latter part of the season, will rarely occur without 
having given constant indications of its existence to the 
coach who has noted the effect of the first impact of the three 
centre men with their opponents when the ball is put in play. 
He will see that there is — not once only, but continually 
repeated — a " giving way " on the part of his centre. Their 
retreat may be only a very slight one ; they may yield so 
little that the successful movement of the play is not seem- 



TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 237 

ingly embarrassed ; their yielding may, indeed, only be evi- 
denced by tlie bending or half turning of their bodies toward 
the quarter-back, but in each case these indications point to 
the conclusion that the centre men should be put through an 
immediate and severe coaching in low, hard blocking. Un- 
less immediate attention is given to these instructions, the 
later results will be disastrous. 

(2) Following the Ball or Playing for the Trick. It 
is imperative that your team, when acting on the defensive, 
should follow closely every movement of the ball, and not be 
deceived by possible fakes or bluffs on the part of the oppo- 
nents. It is a very good plan to teach the second eleven (if 
there is a second eleven) some clever tricks which they can 
try upon your team. If you have no second eleven, see if it 
is not possible to secure for your practice the services of 
some clever and bright, even though greatly inferior, team ; 
such a team will very likely have some especial forms of 
tricks in the nature of double passes, criss-crosses, fake kicks, . 
etc., which will materially sharpen the wits of your men, 
when acting on the defensive. 

The coach should then notice especially when any one of 
his team disobeys the instructions he has been given in the 
certainty of his belief that he knows the outlet of the play. 
Some coaches have had hard experience along this line. 
They have seen their favorite forwards, who have been con- 
stantly coached to go through the opposing line and follow 
up the play when it is moving away from them — they have 
seen these men, when facing an inferior team, disregard their 
instructions, and in their presumed certainty of the nature 
of the play try and get into the scrimmage by "running 
back of their own line." 

This, of course, is a direct violation of coaching instruc- 
tions, and would not often occur with a well-trained eleven ; 
but there are other equally dangerous and more subtle ways 
in which the very best players are led into following their 
instinct as against their coaching, or, as it is often expressed, 
" playing for the trick instead of following the ball." 

(3) Criss-Crosses and Double Passes. (Calling out.) 
Do not overlook the important lessons to be gained when- 



238 FOOTBALL 

ever your team faces an opponent who makes use of criss- 
crosses, and plays with a second passing of the ball. Your 
end rushers are the men most likely to detect first the sec- 
ond passing of the ball, and they should be instructed to in- 
stantly give the alarm by calling out in a loud voice that a 
criss-cross has been made. 

A criss-cross is always a more or less dangerous type of 
play to meet, and the valuable practice which your team 
secures whenever it meets such a play is one which you 
should surely turn to advantage. Notice just what men are 
deceptively drawn away from the immediate field of action. 
The players who are usually the culprits in not rightly 
apprehending and performing their full duty in plays of 
this sort are the tackles, ends, and rush-line backs. They 
should be closely watched, and if one of these players has 
been fooled by a criss-cross in any game he should be given 
instructions which will enable him to successfully meet plays 
of this character in the future. 

(4) Whether Backs or Forwards Give Away, by 
their Attitude, the Location of the Trick. This is an 
important test, and it should constantly be applied. Many 
members of the team, unless diligently coached to the con- 
trary, will reveal to a clever opponent the general direction 
of the impending attack, by the attitude which they assume. 
If the player is in the rush line he will perhaps, by draw- 
ing back from his opponent, reveal the fact that he is to be 
the runner with the ball ; or he will, by the very extra pre- 
cautions and exertions which he takes, discover to his 
watchful opponent that the signal has called upon him to 
make the hole, and that the attack is, therefore, to be at 
that exact point in the line. Sometimes a forward, in his 
anxiety to get quickly into the interference, will assume 
almost the position for a sprint start, and his attitude 
clearly explains to the other side that the interference is to 
be directed at the very end of the line. 

Oftener, however, it is the backs who give away the direc- 
tion of the play ; and for this reason they are the men who 
should be most closely watched. Especial attention should 
be given to their feet. A back who will be careful not to 



TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 239 

reveal in any other way, by his attitude, the direction in 
which the play is to move, will often be quite unable to 
prevent his feet from indicating clearly the course which he 
is about to take. The feet are great tell-tales in this matter. 
The backs should be continually coached to stand with their 
feet so placed that they not only do not reveal the direction 
in which the play is to go, but that they confuse the oppo- 
nents by indicating a false direction. Thus, if the back is 
to move rapidly toward the end of the line, he should be 
taught to take an attitude indicative of an immediate plunge 
into the centre. With a little practice it will be found that 
he can easily become accustomed to this style of " take-off '' 
for a round-the-end run. An exactly reverse attitude may 
then be assumed for a centre run. 

(5) Starting by the Ball or by the Opponents. This 
is a point which will bear close watching. The penalties for 
off-side play are too great to take any risk of being drawn 
into a preliminary onslaught by some movement of the op- 
ponents. The invariable rule should be, when on the defen- 
sive, to watch the hall, and never to start until the ball 
starts, whatever movement the opponents may make. The 
instant, however, that the ball is put in play, every man 
should be in motion. Severe coaching should be given to 
the forward who neglects to watch the ball, or is deliber- 
ately induced to anticipate its movement by some bluff of 
the opponents. 

(6) Punting for Distance and Location. It is not 
too much to insist as the standard of excellence for a full- 
back on a leading 'Varsity team, that he shall be able, in the 
majority of occasions, to drop his punt within the limits of 
a circle having a radius of ten yards. This accuracy of 
location in kicking punts is almost as important as the 
mere punting for distance. Certain emergencies arise when 
the ball must be punted into touch at or near a given 
point. 

For example, when punting on a third down, on the oppo- 
nents' twenty-yard line, it might enable the team to put 
the ball into touch inside the five-yard line, thus avoiding 
the danger of a kick-over. A full-back should be rigidly 



240 FOOTBALL 

held up to the attainment of a high proficiency in the matter 
of both distance and location punting. 

(7) Test of Blocking for Punts. This is too impor- 
tant not to receive constant attention, and repeated tests 
should be made of the efficacy of the defense for a kick. 
A very simple plan is to add to the opposing team an extra 
man in the line, and possibly one extra man behind the line. 
When making the test let it be known that the play is to 
be a kick, in order that every possible advantage may be 
taken by the opponents against whom you are practising. 
If the punt is blocked, do not fail to ascertain the exact 
method in which it was stopped, and the man who stopped 
it. Question the men who are deputed to obstruct the 
efforts of this man as to the reasons for their failure to so 
obstruct him at this time. Let the same effort be repeated 
again and again, until ten minutes' practice has been con- 
sumed upon this one test. Even if the result is entirely 
satisfactory, it will be necessary to make the same test as 
often as once or twice a week, for this is a most vital point 
in the development of the team, and the men individually 
must be coached to the best of your ability ; there must be 
no doubt in your mind that they fully comprehend what is 
required of them. 

In the event of the repeated failure of the full-back to get 
the ball away in time, it is necessary to ascertain the exact 
causes by which such failure is brought about. It may be 
that the punter is too slow in his motions ; it may be that 
he is standing too close to his line ; it may be that the 
blocking of some one or two men in the line is poor ; it may 
be that the quarter is slow in the pass, or that the ball does 
not come back accurately and sharply from the centre. In 
any of these cases, unless the proper corrective is found, it 
will be necessary to force an answer to the problem and cor- 
rect the error, even at the risk of jeopardy to some other 
part of the play. It may be found necessary to call the 
ends in from their outposts, and insist that they shall do a 
slight amount of body-checking before going down the field 
under the kick. If no other plan is successful, it would be 
good tactics to call the ends in altogether from their work of 



TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 241 

going down the field, and have them assist in the immediate 
blocking. The ball, however, should in that case be punted 
into touch, or so far over toward the short side of the field 
as to make it reasonably sure that no considerable run 
resulted. 

When punting out from behind one's own goal line, if 
punts have previously been blocked, it is a question whether 
it would not be wise to bring back the ends for supplemen- 
tary defense, in order that the kick at this critical time 
should surely be made without slip or accident. On such a 
play every man should exert himself to the utmost to go 
down the field as rapidly as possible after a moment's 
blocking of his opponent. In this connection the coach will 
do well to study the possible special formations for de- 
fending a punter. One of these is given in another part 
of this book ; and others may be prepared by a little study 
and experiment. 

(8) Test of Location of Hole (by "Watching) and 
whether Back knows its Exact Spot and takes it 
clearly. This test can best be made by selecting three 
opponents, and lining up the team against them for signal 
practice. Let the three supposed opponents know the sig- 
nals, and move rapidly from point to point in the line where 
the runner is to appear, or where the hole is to be made. 
Eequire your forwards to actually make the opening, and 
instruct the runner to go through the hole every time 
exactly as if in a regular play. The results of this test 
will reveal to the coach whether the back knows the exact 
point where the opening is made, and is not running 
wildly for a certain supposed part of the line between two 
men. 

It is a very natural error into which the backs may fall, 
to locate the hole a foot or two away from the exact spot 
where it occurs. Sufficient allowance is not made by the 
average coach for the actual stretch of the line as it moves 
outward from the centre, and it is not enough, in an im- 
portant play, to tell the runner that his hole is " between 
tackle and guard." The proper instruction should be that 
his hole is " exactly over the tackle's position," or " just 



242 FOOTBALL 

inside the tackle's position." It must be borne in mind that 
in the average line-up the distance from guard to tackle 
would probably be five feet ; between tackle and end, eight 
feet. These distances are too great to make it possible for 
a runner's opening to extend across the entire distance. It 
is, therefore, quite essential that the runner should be 
coached in signal practice as to the exact part of the dis- 
tance between two men at which his opening occurs. The 
more that the careful coach studies this particular problem, 
the clearer it will grow, and the more convinced he will be 
of the impor^:ance of this test. 

(9) A Given- Away Signal. It frequently happens that, 
after the calling out of a signal, a false start is made, and 
this slight accident is sufiicient to give a momentary "rat- 
tling " to the team which may go far toward making their 
attempt to advance the ball an abortive one. Some method 
or course of action should be decided upon for all occasions 
where the signal is given away. There should not be the 
slightest embarrassment on the part of the quarter, and the 
correction of the signal should be immediate and unhesitat- 
ing. 

(10) The Line no Stronger than its Weakest Point. 
It is a good maxim for the coach to remember that, just as 
the excellence of the team as a whole can never rise as high 
as the excellence of its best player, so it will rarely fall as 
low as the inferiority of its poorest player. But it is this 
poorest player who must be borne in mind in all important 
operations and arrangements. It may be found necessary, 
at critical times, to reenforce his position, and at other times 
he will be entirely adequate for the needs of the situation. 
The watchful coach should never forget, however, the limita- 
tions Avhich, by this single weak spot in the line, are drawn 
upon all his operations. The well-known method of " ham- 
mering " at one point in the rush line will reduce even a 
strong player to a weak one in the course of a single game, 
and there are very few teams who are not able, by the close 
of the first half of a game, to discover and report a weak 
spot in their opponents' line, if such a spot exists. 

While there will usually, of necessity, be one man in the 



TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 243 

line who is less capable than the rest, the difference should 
not be a marked one, nor should the coach ever be satisfied 
by the easy assumption that the rush-line back or quarter- 
back can reenforce this weak player. Such reenforcement 
is seldom successful. 

(11) Sympathy between Backs : of Backs with Quar- 
ter : of Backs with Line. The degree of sympathy be- 
tween adjoining players is a very important element in team 
play. A back should never go into the line doubtful as to 
the presence of his interferers in their accustomed places 
about him. Naturally he has no time to look about him 
and make sure of their presence in their proper position ; 
tie must have confidence in them ! He must also have confi- 
dence in the quarter-back, and feel assured that he is to 
receive the ball at a certain place and in the customary way. 
Without this confidence his play will inevitably be slowed 
down, and the whole effect of the intended movement will 
be weakened. 

Sympathy between the three backs who carry the ball can 
best be established by coaching them, when they take their 
places, to extend their arms at full length, and for a moment 
grasp the arm or waist of their adjoining companions on 
either side. This actual touch or contact often imparts that 
'^shoulder to shoulder'^ courage which marks the spirited 
attack. Confidence and sympathy are born in that immedi- 
ate touch. The back no longer " thinks " that his interfer- 
ence is about him ; he knows it. 

In the same way the backs should be encouraged to con- 
verse freely at all times, in a low tone, regarding the intended 
manoeuvre, mentioning, perhaps, who is to carry the ball, and 
each assuring the other, in half whispers, that he under- 
stands the exact nature of the coming movement. 

The sympathy of the backs with the quarter, while just 
as vital a matter, is more difficult to bring about. Close 
acquaintance, and the intimate knowledge of each other^s 
thoughts and attitudes which comes with that acquaintance, 
will materially assist in establishing this sympathy. The 
coach can supplement this by endeavoring, in his own way, 
to instill into the minds of the backs a confidence in the 



244 FOOTBALL 

work of the quarter. Let the coach himself make sure that 
the backs appreciate the fact that the best available quarter 
has been chosen ; that his coolness can be relied upon ; that 
he is being carefully instructed in the employment of the 
best tactics upon the field, and that he is generally a more 
capable and trustworthy player than appearances might, per- 
haps, indicate. 

Yet another point is the sympathy between the backs and 
the line. One often sees a team in which the development 
has advanced to a point where the team is composed of two 
units, the baoks and the line. The last and highest degree 
of development has not been reached, and there is a percep- 
tible break in nearly every play where the work of one of 
these units does not immediately connect itself with the 
work of the other. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to take the 
space here to instruct the coach as to the best method to be 
pursued in each case, for the reason that the fault, which 
may lie in one of several directions, is usually easily discern- 
ible, and the remedy may as easily be applied. The line 
may be needlessly slow in their movements after the ball 
has been snapped ; or the backs may have fallen into a style 
of play in which they are anticipating the movement of the 
ball, through their great familiarity with the actions of the 
quarter. The emphasis which has been placed upon the coach- 
ing of the backs may have resulted in speeding them up ahead 
of the point at which the line is starting ; or, conversely, the 
line may have been so successfully developed that they are 
actually ahead of the work of the backs, and it is the latter 
who need attention. In either case the problem is not a dif- 
ficult one, but it is important and should have the immediate 
attention of the coach. 

(12) Test of Place Kicking of Goals. It is a safe 
maxim that a goal from a place-kick should never be missed. 
The coach should know, however, that the fault, when any 
exists, may have one of several causes, all equally liable 
to occur. It may lie in the holder of the ball ; in the lack 
of confidence of the kicker ; or in the bad form in which he 
has been taught to kick. It is well to have at least two 
kickers and two holders in every team, and the work of the 



TESTING THE DEVELOPMENT 245 

holders should be more or less interchangeable, so that either 
holder may officiate for either kicker. It will be an advan- 
tage if one of the kickers is a rusher. 

The errors through a lack of confidence on the part of the 
kicker should be carefully watched for during the season. 
Ko man who is uncertain in his moods, and whose play is 
marked by great variations in its excellence, should be in- 
trusted with the kicking of goals. It needs, rather, a man 
of good judgment and extreme coolness. 

It is always a mooted point in every close game, when 
a kicker has missed one goal, to decide whether he should 
be intrusted with the kicking of another goal if a second 
touch-down is made. If a strong wind is blowing, it may 
easily be that the kicker misjudged the wind, and, having 
seen the result of his error, will not again misjudge it, 
and is, therefore, better fitted to kick the second goal than 
any other man on the field. On the other hand, if his error 
arose from a nervousness in this particular game, it will be 
a mistake to allow him to try again. On the whole it is, 
perhaps, a safe plan to follow the course laid down by certain 
trans-Atlantic steamship lines, and punish the accident re- 
gardless of an investigation into its causes. Let the rule be, 
that if the kicker misses one goal he is not allowed to try 
for the second. 

The matter of errors in the form of the kicker is too 
often overlooked. One constantly sees goal kickers who, 
after the ball has been touched to the ground, advance two 
or three steps and kick with much unnecessary force. The 
ball should not be brought out more than ten to fifteen yards, 
and with the present rules regarding punt-outs the angle of 
the kick need not be a difficult one. For this short distance 
let the kicker stand quite close to the ball, and in moving 
forward to make the kick let him not bend his body back as 
the leg is thrown forward, for this withdraws his eye from 
his intent observation of the ball, and on this intentness of 
observation his success largely depends. Let him rather 
make one step forward, and, bending over the ball, instead 
of bending backward, let him make an easy, light kick over 
the cross-bar. 



246 FOOTBALL 

(lo) Test of Spirit by Driving. Every experienced 
coach will realize the necessity for this test, and little need 
be said about it here. In a group of eleven men, it is inevi- 
table that there will be different degrees of spirit, and as a 
result of the weeks of training it is not unlikely that there 
may be short limits to the patience and discipline of the 
team. Under the spur of sharp censure and constant 
driving, if there is such a limit, the coach will surely dis- 
cover it, and he may never know of its existence until, on 
some selected afternoon, he tests the temper of his team by 
the hardest iiind of a coaching " drive." Later he may be 
able to credit to the account of such an afternoon some of 
the most important lessons of the fall practice. 

(14) Test of Condition by Sending Full Length. 
This is a matter which concerns only the department of 
training, but as this department is the very foundation upon 
which the coach is working, it is proper that it should be 
subjected to a severe test. From time to time during the 
season, the development of the physical condition of the men 
should be ascertained by giving them an entire afternoon of 
the severest practice. At such times they should be played 
for the full limits of a game. Let the halves be long enough 
to allow a reasonable margin for time taken out, and still keep 
the actual playing halves of thirty-five minutes duration. 
The probable loss of time may be approximated as ten min- 
utes in each half, and the team should then be played for 
two halves of forty -five minutes. As the best practice usu- 
ally comes late in the season, it presupposes the selection of 
some day when the work may begin at an early hour. The 
coach should by no means overlook this important test of 
the endurance of his team. 



CHAPTEE VI 

FIELD TACTICS 

Generalship. Critical Moment in Every Game. In 

the progress of a game where much is at stake, there always 
comes a time when the two teams have fairly measured their 
strength with each other, have tried their best plays, have 
exhibited their methods, and betrayed their weaknesses. In 
nine tenths of our season's final matches, whether between 
school teams, small college teams, or crack exponents of the 
highest perfection of the game, — in nine tenths of these 
matches, we repeat, there is usually not a great deal to 
choose between the two contesting elevens, either in point 
of individual physical condition, or ability to execute plays. 
The contest, therefore, would be a tie if it were not for some 
other factor that enters into the equation and eventually 
shows one of the teams frequently markedly the superior of 
the other. The factor is generalship ; and by this we mean 
the handling of the team in the immediate progress of the 
match. This entails, or rather is the result of a proper 
course of education through a season, for no effective general- 
ship in a game is possible, save through a long study of its 
problems during the entire season. In the game itself, the 
captain and quarter carry out the lessons learned from the 
coach through the preliminary practice and lesser games. 
Later in this chapter we give the results of the study of 
many coaches through many seasons, and in doing this we 
hope to place the coaches and captains in a position to save 
themselves a great deal of labor over problems that can only 
be solved by experiment in big matches, and at times when 
an experiment, though its resulting knowledge may be valu- 
able, may be of itself very costly. 

Selection of Good Coach. The first thing to be consid- 



248 FOOTBALL 

ered by a team in the question of generalship for the season 
is the selection of a good coach. In most of the larger uni- 
versities^ and in many of the schools, there are nowadays 
not only two or three available men, but a little army of 
coaches, no one of whom is capable of assuming, or desires 
to be given, full charge of the entire season's work. Hence 
when we say good coach, we mean good head coach — that 
is, a man who takes entire charge, and is responsible for the 
final product of the season's work. 

A Leader and General. Such a man must be by nature 
both a leader and a general. He must be of high character, 
and thoroughly deserving of the full confidence and respect 
of all with whom he may come in contact. It goes without 
saying, that he must know the game with something more 
than the merely superficial knowledge of the player. The 
coach must have studied its deeper problems, and appre- 
hended its tactical possibilities. He should be persona grata, 
not only to the team and the rest of the coaches, but also to 
the faculty. With all this, he must not be a man who is 
swayed by any desire for individual popularity. He must 
not be influenced by considerations of what people he may 
offend, or whom he may please by certain selections of men 
or methods. He must have no weaknesses of this nature. 
He must not only know when he is right, but must also have 
to the full the courage of his convictions ; and once set out 
upon the road that he believes is the right one, no amount of 
opposition should turn him. Still again, he must be willing 
to hear the opinions of others, anxious to accept such sug- 
gestions as are of value, and too unselfish not to be ready to 
give credit to another man's assistance. He must deserve, 
and, deserving, command respect. Then will he be able to 
produce a team that shall win against great odds, or, if losing, 
be defeated only at the hands of rivals who, through better 
material and greater experience, have an advantage at the 
outset which has proved too great for even the ablest coach 
to overcome. As this is a chapter to the coach himself, he 
should practise sufficient self-examination to learn whether 
he has these necessary attributes, and if he be not possessed 
of them, and feels that he cannot acquire them, our advice 



FIELD TACTICS 249 

to Mm is to hand in his resignation at once, before he starts 
upon a campaign which can result only in distress and even- 
tual disgrace to himself and to the team he endeavors to 
handle. 

Relations of the Captain and Coach. As the captain 
is usually elected before the coach is chosen, it devolves upon 
the latter to realize at the outset that he must work in har- 
mony with the captain, or be of sufficient power and standing 
to effect an immediate resignation of the captain and the 
elevation of another man. This should never be deferred to 
mid-season, or brought about by a system of undermining, 
too common in college politics. Face the situation at once, 
and if the captain be unsuitable, act openly, honestly, and 
straightforwardly, and if the captain is to stay, then send in 
your own resignation, and give the team the benefit of a 
coach and captain who are in accord. 

But if the captain be a fit man for the place, see to it that 
you keep his position a thoroughly honorable one before his 
men. Treat his opinions with respect, and especially so be- 
fore the players. If there be points in which you think him 
wrong, it will not be difficult in private to convince him of 
his error, and then you can both work together to correct any 
mistakes. You must remember that when it comes to the 
actual game itself, the captain must carry with him all the 
power, and have behind him all the obedience of his team. 
After the ball is kicked off, you, the coach, become but a 
spectator — one of a thousand others, while he has the carry- 
ing on of the battle and the encouragement of the troops. 
So make sure that you do nothing to weaken, but rather 
everything to strengthen his position with his men. Make 
a man of him by belief in him. It is not necessary that you 
believe in his theories. He may have foolish ones. But be- 
lieve that he will make an ideal captain, and you will find it 
not at all difficult, if he is a man of good sense and personal 
courage, to teach him to be the mainstay of the team. This 
seems like a long digression from the subject of field tactics, 
but it is a part of the generalship, and a most important part 
too. 

Selection of Substitute Field Captain. The next im- 



250 FOOTBALL 

portant point to receive attention, in order that the general- 
ship of the great match be properly provided for, is the selec- 
tion of a substitute field captain — a man who, in case of 
accident, can step into the place and handle the team. The 
selection of this man should also be made a matter of great 
care and consideration, and effected as early in the season as 
possible. Some trials may, if advisable, be made in this 
matter, and different men be given the opportunity of trying 
their hand at leading in some of the minor matches. The 
one caution that/ is worth giving in this selection is not to 
allow any man to be chosen who is likely to become so vain 
over the little brief authority as to set up an opposition to 
the captain. There are such men, and it is just as well not 
to place them where they can do harm. 

Running the Team by the Quarter-Back. After the 
selection of these field captains comes the question of the 
interdependence between them and the quarter-back, as well 
as the substitute quarter-back, for provision must be made 
here also for accident. The captain should have the final 
voice during the game whenever he cares to avail himself of 
that privilege, but it is usually more convenient to have the 
quarter give the signals. In case the captain is a half or full 
back, he may be able to give the signals satisfactorily, but 
hardly when he is a line man. At an}- rate, in the final dis- 
cussions and arrangements between the captain and coach, it 
is well to call in the substitute captain and the two quarters, 
in order that the general plan of the play may be thoroughly 
understood by all four. 

Acquaint the Quarter and Captain with your Plans. 
Don't wait until the night before the game to acquaint these 
men with your views as to how the big match is to be con- 
ducted, what your designs are, and how you expect to see 
them executed. Begin some two weeks before to let these 
men share your considerations, and make them a part of 
your counsels. Many coaches put off the final planning of 
the game until the last few days, and then have so many 
little things to think of that they have no time to instruct 
substitutes. The result is that in the middle of the game the 
captain is laid up, and the team then goes to pieces because 



FIELD TACTICS 251 

it has lost its head. In another chapter will be given in 
detail a resume of the many points to be considered on the 
eve of the match. 

Elimination of Unsatisfactory Plays. Two weeks, 
then, before the match, call the captain, substitute captain, 
and the two quarters together, and begin the consideration of 
the elimination of such plays, at that time being used, as are 
likely to prove dangerous in respect of losing the ball ; risky 
in regard to the opening left for a long run on a fumble ; 
exhausting to the men you wish to keep in the best shape ; 
or irritating to the general spirit of the team. 

Conditions Affecting Field Tactics. What to Con- 
sider. Outside of any consideration of the strength or 
weakness of the opponents beyond the question of the rela- 
tive ability of the two teams, or of their individual compari- 
son, there are conditions which the wise general must take 
into especial consideration. These are such factors as the 
wind, ground, rain, sun, seats, and crowd. Taking these in 
order, the effect of the wind is one that is thoroughly appre- 
ciated, though not perhaps perfectly understood by almost 
every football player. 

Value and Effect of the Wind. It is hardly necessary 
to do more than to state that when the wind blows freshly 
down a field in a direction parallel to the side lines, the side 
which has the assistance of the wind gains a great advantage 
over their opponents upon the occasion of every kick made 
by either side. But it is advisable to go into further detail 
regarding the possibility of increasing or decreasing this 
advantage. Let us consider, first, the side that has the wind : 
In the case of a really strong wind, this side should do 
almost no running with the ball until the last ten minutes of 
the half, or until they secure possession of it within twenty- 
five yards of their opponents' goal, or at least have it on a first 
down in close proximity to that line. This will seem to many 
a strong statement ; for, it is argued, with a strong wind a 
punt from the forty-yard line will go over the goal line. Yes, 
but in that case it ought always to be a drop-kick, and then 
it may net five points. Again, if it be a punt, it should be 
placed across the side line well down toward its intersection 



252 FOOTBALL 

with the goal line. Still further, even if kicking when at 
the twenty or forty yard line does result in -simple touch- 
backs, the following kick-out may often result in its turn in 
a fair catch, which may be converted into a field-kick goal. 
Lastly, beside all this, it is killing to the opponents to be 
driven into playing a risky game of catching balls in front of 
their own line, or kicking out in the teeth of a strong wind, 
and by the time of the last ten minutes of the half, the team 
that with the wind has been constantly kicking will be 
sufiiciently supe'/ior in wind and dash to be several yards to 
the good in their running game. 

Style of Kick With the Wind. Next, as to the style 
of kick to be used by the side with the wind. When kicking 
from your own territory, and when you desire to make all 
the distance possible, lift the ball well up above the top seats 
of the bleachers so that it may have the full sweep of the 
wind, and not merely what little gusts get down into the 
amphitheatre. Take plenty of room for a hard swing, and 
give the ball all the drive you can. As you near the oppo- 
nents' goal, the kicks may be lower and faster, making twis- 
ters that are hard to catch unless you wdsh to put your men 
on-side. Then, of course, the ball must go up more to give 
longer time for the descent. If the wind is not directly 
down the field, always work over for the kick so that you 
will get as much benefit as possible, even though you are 
thus obliged to kick across the field. Don't be afraid to try 
drop-kicks or place-kicks at goal from almost any point in 
reason. But be very careful to take plenty of room for these 
kicks, as they rise less quickly with the wind, and the loss 
of a blocked kick is greater in proportion to the distance 
that kick might have traveled had it not been blocked. 

Duty of Ends when With the Wind. It is necessary 
to add a word or tw^o here upon the important duty devolv- 
ing upon the ends in playing with the wind. They must 
make almost superhuman efforts at times to get down the 
field in season, because the wind will carry the ball along at 
a tremendous rate, and their pace must, therefore, be corre- 
spondingly accelerated. This is important, not so much to 
prevent running the ball back, as because a muff is far more 



FIELD TACTICS 253 

likely under these conditions than on a still day. In fact, a 
mere touch is all a rattled full-back may get at the ball 
which then goes on over the goal line. No touch-down is so 
easily secured, or does more damage morally to the losing 
side, than one resulting from a muff or a blocked kick. 

Against the Wind. Turning now to the consideration 
of the side that is playing against these odds, with the wind 
in their faces ; if the breeze be a strong one, it is indeed a 
difficult task, and one that will try the temper and patience 
of the leader and his men to the utmost. The first thing to 
consider is whether the wind is so strong as to make a kick 
wholly out of the question, save when actually forced to it. 
Fortunately we have had few such winds on the days of our 
great matches, but once or twice such conditions have pre- 
vailed, and have found leaders unprepared for them. A cap- 
tain should keep close watch of the wind, even after he has 
entered a half convinced that it is too strong to kick against, 
for there may be lulls when he can get in an effective punt, 
and relieve his tired men for at least a few moments. He 
may also work in quarter-back kicking, and '' on-side '^ kicks 
to some effect. 

Style of Play. As to his running game, he should dis- 
tribute it as much as possible, so as to enable his team to 
last out the half. He should play with deliberation, and 
bring off trick plays whenever there is a promising oppor- 
tunity. In style of punting, when attempted, he should 
remember that nothing but a low, hard drive stands any 
chance of traveling against a wind, and his kickers should 
always aim just over the heads of the rushers, and put all 
the force they can into the kick. Try to work off to the side 
from which the wind comes, if it be not straight down the 
field. Bring your kicker up as close to the quarter as you 
dare have him, and block tight in the line. Every yard 
counts, and you cannot afford to throw distance away by 
letting your punter stand well back, as you can when you 
have the wind with you. 

Style of Kick Against the Wind. Let your kicker get 
the ball pretty well up on the instep to drive it, a toe kick 
has less " go " in it, and is more apt to slip off against a big 



254 FOOTBALL 

wind. Don't be afraid to make a safety unless it is late in 
the game, and the score so close that the safety would settle 
it. Coax your opponents to punt over, however, ail you can, 
because touch-backs are a great deal better for you than safe- 
ties, but don't feel that the game is all over if you have to 
make two, or even three safeties in the first half with the 
wind against you. One good touch-down goal in the next 
half will tie the three safeties. Nevertheless, keep it two if 
you can, because the touch-down goal, or even a field-kick 
goal will then b^ a win for you, instead of a tie or too little. 
Before you go into the half, tell your forwards how much it 
means to secure the ball on a kick, — let them remember, 
also, how hard to handle these low kicks just over the heads 
of the rushers are for the other side, — how the wind holds 
the ball back, and a good, dashing forward will often receive 
the ball on a fumble by the opponents. They must fight 
for this hard, for even once or twice saves your team a load 
of hard work, and encourages them wonderfully in a trying 
time. 

Rain. The story is told of two teams meeting in a rain- 
storm, and the captain of the defeated team saying, after the 
game, to his rival, " I don't see how your men handled the 
ball so much better than we did. We used to soak the ball 
all night, and then play with it the next day, just to pre- 
pare for such a time as this." The winning captain asked, 
" Did n't you practise when it rained ? " " Why, no," said 
his rival, " we were afraid of getting men laid up. Did you 
play in the rain ? " ^^ Yes, we practised, rain or shine, just 
as we play a game, rain or shine." 

What Plays to Use, and what to Discard, on a Rainy- 
Day . That was some years ago, and nearly every team now 
knows that practice in the rain is necessary to a proper 
understanding of such conditions, and that they may prevail 
on the day of the big match. It is by this practice, also, 
that a captain learns what plays must be discarded, and what 
ones used on a wet day in a sodden field, and with a greasy 
ball. There are conditions peculiar to individual teams in 
this respect that can only be determined by practice and 
observation, but there are certain general rules that may be 



FIELD TACTICS 255 

laid down without reference to the idiosyncrasies of any 
team. Primarily, most plays that involve quick, sharp turns 
or dodges must be discarded on a wet field. Then plays 
depending solely upon men from two different points meet- 
ing at a common point at an absolutely fixed moment can 
hardly be brought off successfully. All plays involving a 
double handling of the ball are hazardous at a time when 
the ball is wet and the footing insecure. Long end runs are 
impossible (except on a trick play, which makes the oppo- 
nents the ones who must turn and retrace their steps). 
Much may be gained by constantly looking for favorable 
spots in the field both for runner and especially for kicker 
on a rainy day. There are always spots less bad than others, 
and the halves, quarter, and full back should keep this in 
mind continually. 

Clothes and Shoes for a Rainy Day. Attention should 
be paid to each man's cross-pieces before he gets on the field, 
and extra pairs of shoes kept in readiness at intermission. 
If the rain be a heavy one, it is well to have a complete 
change of suit for each man at intermission, because the 
clothes become so heavy as to interfere with speed and kicks, 
and to actually tire out the wearers from their weight. 

Handling the Ball when Wet. A wet, heavy ball must 
be handled with the arms and body more than a dry one. It 
will not do to try to take it on a pass in the hands only. 
Moreover, it must be kicked while the muscles of the leg are 
very tense, and must be met squarely. In catching it, on 
long kicks, the body and even upper leg should be kept well 
under it, forming almost a pocket in which, with the help of 
the arms, the ball may be securely held. 

Sun. When to Choose It. As most of the games of 
football played in this country are not finished much before 
half past four or five o'clock in the afternoon, it follows that 
where the grounds run east and west the sun plays an im- 
portant part on cloudless days. When there is no other ele- 
ment entering into the selection of goal, and a captain is 
debating upon the choice, he should always remember that 
the sun is far more disconcerting to the backs as it approaches 
the horizon, and he should, therefore, elect to face it prefer- 



256 FOOTBALL 

ably during the first half. But he may not have the choice, 
or there may be a wind or other reasons for a different selec- 
tion. 

How to Neutralize its Effects. The coach should, 
therefore, have provided against this contingency by having 
equipped the backs with the long-vizored cap. In addition 
to this, also, the backs should have been well trained in the 
practice of using the left hand as a shade, holding it out at 
arm's length as the ball is descending, and drawing the arm 
in as the ball settles. It is an easily acquired art, and is very 
serviceable. After a week or two of practice it does not in 
the least interfere with the catch, and renders trouble from 
the sun (unless it is very low in the horizon) comparatively 
harmless. 

How to Make Use of the Advantage. To take every 
advantage of this factor of the sun in a match, the side hav- 
ing it at their backs should make a practice of sending kicks 
at a moderate height, and with a hard drive, kicking what 
are technically known as " sailers," that is, kicks that cause 
the ball to turn over and over very little, while it swerves 
from a true course, and comes swiftly, dropping very sharply 
toward the end of its flight. This is by all odds the most 
difficult punt for a back to handle when he has the sun in 
his eyes. 

But all fields are not laid out running directly east and 
west, and it often happens that the sun is at the side rather 
than at the end of the field. Then such advantage is les- 
sened, but with it comes another phase of the question that 
should receive constant consideration. With the sun very 
low, and on a field that is upon comparatively high ground, 
some long passes must be given up, and it is well to rec- 
ognize this before a neglect results in a fumble. 

Ground. Consideration of Snow and Irregularities. 
We have already treated the question of the condition of the 
ground in the preceding paragraphs, where that condition 
was dependent upon the effect of rain. Snow has a similar 
effect, save that it is apt to pack on the shoes even more 
than mud, and it is sometimes well to rub a little stove polish 
on the soles of the shoes before going into a game. Besides 



FIELD TACTICS 257 

the weather conditions^ the general lay of the land should be 
considered, and the ground thoroughly gone over, if it be a 
strange one. There may be paths crossing it. It may be 
that there is a decided pitch in some portion. There may 
be sandy spots. There may be a baseball diamond. All 
these things affect the play in a variety of ways, and should 
be known and allowed for. Especially should the ground 
inside the twenty-five-yard lines be examined, as in this sec- 
tion of the field most of the kicking for goals, both place- 
kicks and drops, is performed. Then the ground near the 
side lines, and just outside of bounds, should be examined. 
The proximity of a fence deserves attention, and ground rules 
should be made dependent upon these conditions. ISTote if 
there be a barrier or obstacle behind either goal, within such 
distance as might render a punt by a full-back, when the ball 
is down within, say, a foot or two of the goal line, difl&cult. 
If so, there should be an agreement entered into allowing a 
certain distance out in such a case. If the provisions for 
keeping the crowd back are inadequate, rules should be made 
such as will leave no room for argument after the game has 
once commenced. 

Proximity of Crowd or Seats. Beyond all this the 
coach and captain should view with careful eye the provisions 
made for the seating of the crowd, also the portion of the 
field where reporters, substitutes, and others inside the ropes 
are to be allowed to stand. The seats of the main body of 
spectators are often so near the side line that the cheering 
will absolutely prevent the team from hearing the signals 
when the ball is near that line, and the coach must arrange 
that the team either collect to receive the signals, or that 
signs be used in place of the usual words. 

Dividing the Field into Spaces. Scoring Distances. 
The question arises at once, when the coach begins to divide 
the field up into spaces, as to what is ^' scoring distance." 
A touch-down can, of course, be made from any part of the 
field. A fumble followed by a run (such as Suter^s, in a 
Princeton-Harvard game) might result in carrying the ball 
the entire length of the field. But such plays as that must 
not be taken into consideration by the coach. He must be 



258 FOOTBALL 

arbitrary in his divisions of the field, and, to be arbitrary, 
he must calculate upon probabilities, not possibilities. In 
laying out scoring territory, then, it is proper to reason in 
this way : How near should a team be when they alivays try 
for a score Avith some probability of attainment ? Taking 
all the vicissitudes of the game and play into consideration, 
we conclude that the twenty-five-yard line is a fair spot, 
but we do not tell the coach or captain that he is never to 
try for score at twenty-six or twenty-seven yards out. We 
only first broadly lay down the law and consider the quarter 
a responsible and withal reasonable being, who will be prop- 
erly balanced in making decisions. 

Kicking Territory. From one twenty-five-yard line to 
the other is the kicking territory. Here the greater part of 
the punting should be done. The exchange of kicks is likely 
to take place largely in this division of the field, and it is a 
kind of common ground in which neither side is placed in 
that position of terrible anxiety which is apt to arise when 
the ball actually comes into what we have called scoring 
distance of one or the other of the goals. In kicking terri- 
tory, therefore, it is possible to count upon fairly steady 
play, — to consider that even a blocked kick or a fumbled 
fly may be redeemed, and will not of itself mean a lost goal. 

Danger Territory. As for the third division, — the dan- 
ger territory, — it is the scoring territory of the opponents. 
Here come in the many problems of defense with increased 
importance and with added significance. Here, a mistake 
becomes serious, a bad blunder fatal. There are two or 
three general rules to be observed here that can be briefly 
stated as follows : First, in this territory it is dangerous to 
delay kicking after the ball is secured. If the centre and 
quarter are practically steady in emergencies, and the backs 
cool and reliable, the kick may be put off one down. But if 
the team be a nervous one, or if they are in a state of panic 
on account of the near approach of the enemy, the ball 
should be punted out of danger as soon as it is secured. 
Second : No pass should be made of any length when in this 
territory, and never across in front of the goal posts. Third : 
The kicker should always take enough room to make abso- 



OPPONENTS' GOAL 



SCORING TERRITORY 



HICK INC TERRITORY 



DANCER TERRITORY 



SSi Yds. 



YOUR GOAL 
Diagram G. — The transverse divisions of the field, 



260 FOOTBALL 

lutely sure of getting in his kick, erring on the side of safety 
here always. Fourth : He should kick down the line rather 
than across. 

Longitudinal Divisions. !So much for a brief sugges- 
tion as to the three main transverse divisions noted in the 
first diagram. Next as to the longitudinal main divisions of 
the field. It has not been very apparent in the games, even 
the big games, of the past that any regard is paid to this 
very important point in field tactics. Plays are used indis- 
criminately, at the whim of the quarter or the caprice of the 
captain, rather than with any well-considered plan, or from 
any thoroughly understood reasoning. Even the teams that 
have played under some system in this regard have not 
themselves been possessed of the key to their play, but have 
simply followed orders, the coach alone understanding why 
his directions have been given. Beyond working the ball 
over in front of the goal when approaching that hallowed 
ground, their knowledge has not carried them. But there is 
almost as much to be considered in these longitudinal divi- 
sions as in the transverse ones, — more, in fact, as relating 
to the use of plays. Let us take the middle belt first. 

The Middle Belt. It is in this belt that a variety of 
plays should be used, not only because it is practicable from 
this section to assault either side of the enemies' line, but 
because there are some plays which are absolutely excluded 
from the other two divisions on account of the side-line prox- 
imity. If, therefore, such plays are not freely used in the 
centre division, they are practically cut from the repertoire 
of the team. Criss-crosses are more effective in this section 
because neither side of the line is packed, and as both move 
freely the opponents are far more likely to overrun the 
second recipient of the ball as he goes up on the double. It 
is hardly necessary to say that drop-kicks for goal should 
always come from this division. 

The Side Belts. As to the side belts, here all kicking is 
most efficacious when desirable to relieve a menaced goal, 
but the kicker should stand well out from the actual side 
line, so as to run no risk of sending the ball out too early in 
its flight. All double passes, as distinguished from criss- 



S3iYd^. 




Diagram H. — The longitudinal divisions of the field. 



262 FOOTBALL 

crosses, should start from the side belt, because this gives a 
long open for the second man to circle in, when he tries to 
go around the end. Trick plays on the centre are also best 
worked from the side spaces, because here the closely packed 
men on one side are handicapped, while those on the far side 
are too much spread out to be quickly of service, as they 
must guard carefully the open territory. 

Further Subdivision. Let us turn now to a more careful 
division of the field. In this, for the sake of making the 
deductions clearer, we once more make arbitrary lines 
which, in this discussion, we will assume are admitted, 
not as absolute, but as indicating in a general way the 
spaces for consideration. Of course, no captain or quarter 
can tell to a hair's breadth, when in actual contest, how many 
feet or inches he may be from the side line or the twenty- 
five-yard line. He must make always more or less rough 
calculations. But he is far better off with distinct ideas as 
to this division of the field than if he regard it, as do most 
of our teams, merely as one great pasture, in which to 
browse away at all sorts of plays. 

Plays for Numbers 16, 17, and 18. With the ball in 
possession, and beginning at your own goal, in sections 16, 
17, and 18, always kick on first down, and preferably down 
the side line. The best position for the kick is in section 16, 
at a point fifteen yards out from the side line. This is for 
a right-footed kicker. For a left-footed kicker, section 18 is 
preferable at the same relative distance from the side. If 
by chance the ball is in section 17, the kicker may so take 
up his position usually as to bring the kick out into either 
16 or 18, as suits his pleasure. 

Plays for Numbers 13, 14, and 15. With the ball in 13, 
14, or 15 of your own goal, always kick on second down, and 
usually upon the first down. Kicks to be made in a similar 
fashion as in sections 16, 17, and 18. Never pass the ball 
or kick the ball across the field when in 16, 17, or 18, or 13, 
14, or 15. 

Plays for Numbers 10, 11, and 12. With the ball in 
your possession, and in section 10, 11, or 12 of your own ter- 
ritory, you may play a running game, occasionally up to a 



FIELD TACTICS 263 

third down, especially if on a generally rapid advance ; tliat 
is, if you have made your five yards or more at a single try, 
not in two downs. Never continue the running game in this 
section when it becomes slow of progress. Kick then, and 
preferably land the ball at the end of the kick out of bounds, 
unless your opponents' backs are known to be fumblers or 
green men. In that case, give them a chance to muff the 
ball. In playing the running game use in section 10 and 12 
double passes, long passes, and runs around end or around 
tackle. In section 11, use tackle attack, criss-cross, and 
variety play ; that is, preferably plays that would be impos- 
sible on the side of the field. It is a safe rule to lay down 
that straight attacks upon the centre should rarely be made 
in the middle belt, unless close to opponents' goal. Advan- 
cing still farther up the field, after you have passed the fifty- 
five-yard line, and are in opponents' territory, it is well 
(except for a disconcerting play) to defer the kick always to 
the second and often to the third down. 

Plays for Numbers 7, 8, and 9. From section 8 a fair 
catch may often be turned into a close try for goal from a 
place-kick. A drop-kick may also be attempted on a third 
down, or even on a second down in this section. In punting 
from sections 7 and 9 it is well to land the ball out of bounds 
down near the corners. In running plays use an occasional 
trick that has a safe outlet, and otherwise follow instructions 
for 10 and 12 in 7 and 9, and 11 in 8. 

Plays for Numbers 4, 5, and 6. As we go up the field 
we now cross the twenty-five-yard line, and come into scor- 
ing territory. Here never kick (except a drop-kick on first 
down) until you come at your third down, and don't kick 
then unless you have at least two yards to go, or possess a 
first-class drop kicker. If you have more than two yards to 
go, a quarter-back kick, or any " on-side " kick, is a good 
thing here. As for plays to use in sections 4, 5, and 6, use 
your best ones. Keep jamming the same thing at them as 
long as it i^ gaining, and then on a first down let them have 
a trick play, which, if it succeed, may give you a touch- 
down. Don't spare any man. Use your best man, and use 
him until he drops, so long as he gains ground. 



264 FOOTBALL 

Plays for Numbers 1, 2, and 3. This may bring you 
over the live-yard, liue into section 1, 2, or 3. When you have 
landed the ball within this space there is no excuse for not 
scoring. Daily you should have practised your plays in this 
section until your team thoroughly grasps the meaning of 
having the ball within five yards of the enemies' line. You 
should have a series, in fact two or three series, of plays for 
use at this juncture, and your quarter or captain should have 
decided, by use of the parts of these series in the earlier play, 
just which of the two or three series will prove most effec- 
tive against the opponents. Bear in mind that if you are in 
sections 1 or 3, plays should be used that will tend to bring 
you into 2 before the line is crossed, but don't waste a play 
in order merely to carry the ball across the field. In select- 
ing the series, give preference to those plays in which your 
men are best able to hold their feet. This is a case often of 
individual custom or peculiarity, and only to be determined 
in the days of practice. There should be no play tried in 
sections 1, 2, or 3 (except on a third down after loss) that 
gives an individual a long, circling run, because in spite of 
his ability a player under these conditions is liable to run 
back or be crowded back when alone at the moment he is 
tackled, so that in that instant of being tackled, having no 
support from his comrades, he is swept back sometimes sev- 
eral yards, and the ball landed outside the five-yard line. 
The only exception to this rule regarding long runs is upon 
a third down after losing ground, so that any ordinary line 
play is hopeless. Then it is best to risk a long run, or even 
a long pass, or sometimes a quarter kick, because the only 
chance left is to make a play that shall net more than the 
distance between the ball and the goal line, and it does not 
make any especial difference whether the opponents secure the 
ball on their five-yard line or on their one-yard line. They 
will kick it in any event, and the four yards on the end of a 
kick that lands the ball forty yards out into the field is im- 
material. If you must lose the ball on opponents' five or 
ten yard line, try to leave it as near the centre as possible, 
and if you can force the opposing full-back to kick out from 
behind his goal posts, it is much gained. As you approach 
opponents' goal direct all punts at the goal posts. 



OPPONENTS' GOAL 



1 


2 


3 ^ 


4 


5 


1 

6 'h 


7 


8 








^ 


10 


II 


12 ^ 


13 


14 


15 1 

5J 


16 


17 


ift ^ 


/5Yds. 


ZSJYds. 


/5Yds. 



YOUR GOAL 
Diagram I. — The field in sections. 



266 FOOTBALL 

Defensive Plays in Cross-Sections. If we stopped here 
in our study of the division of the field for the better under- 
standing of field tactics, it might be said that we had done 
our duty, and that the case had been satisfactorily covered. 
But there is more to be considered. Almost every team has 
theories of defense, but these theories are behind the theories 
of offense by some three years. Just as a few years ago 
our theories of offense bore little relation to the portion of 
the field where the play was located, so now the most ad- 
vanced theories of defense have little to do with field divi- 
sion, but are generally applied upon all occasions. But the 
division of the field into sections, and the study of these 
sections, is quite as important upon defense as it is upon 
offense, and the consideration of the subject will prove fully 
as important to the coach and captain. 

Inside the Twenty-Pive-Yard Line. Beginning, as we 
did before, with the three general transverse divisions of the 
field, we assume that the team is on the defense, — that is, 
the ball is in the possession of their opponents, and within 
twenty-five yards of the goal line. As this chapter does not 
deal with the specialized forms of defense any more than it 
does with the methods of offense, except so far as they are 
affected by the position of the play, we do not give the exact 
distribution of the teams, but we call attention to the results 
to be accomplished. The first point to be observed within 
these lines is the necessity of preventing repeated small but 
steady gains. Out in the middle of the field a gain of twenty- 
five yards in fifteen downs is not a serious matter, and, in 
fact, rather to be encouraged, if the opponents are thereby 
exhausting themselves, for it requires greater strength and 
wind, as a rule, to make such plays than to check their pro- 
gress. But here it means a touch-down, and hence it must be 
especially guarded against and stopped. This is best done 
by accentuating the push of the line of forwards. That is, 
while in the middle of the field a long run is to be feared, 
within the twenty-five-yard line it is the steady gain of short 
distance that becomes alarming, and to check the latter the 
"lift" of the line, that is, its pushing power, must be 
increased even at the expense of other features. The oppo- 



FIELD TACTICS 267 

nents must not be allowed to push ahead after the runner 
strikes the line. They must be reached early by those going 
through, and the interference smashed, if possible, before 
the impact comes upon the line itself. Every man should 
here meet his opponent from below up. That is, whether 
he be free of the line or in it at the time of striking his 
opponent or the interference, he should be bent low doAvn, 
and as he strikes should straighten up and lift to force the 
opponent backward. Some will argue that this is a good 
thing to do at any point in the field. It is ; but, unfortu- 
nately, it cannot be kept up successfully for the entire game, 
and, for the same reason that a rushing game should not be 
played all the time, as too exhausting, so, too, the defense 
must be regulated according to the possibilities of physical 
endurance and the necessities of the situation. Again, in- 
side the twenty-five-yard line, and particularly as the defense 
is forced nearer its own goal, the general order should be 
less loose than in mid-field. The full-back comes up close, 
the half-backs come in a little, the ends take less room, but 
put themselves where they can cover an outside run, and yet 
jump in after the play is diagnosed, and give assistance. 
The guards do not play as wide as in open field, for fear of 
centre pushing, and the general effect is that of far greater 
compactness. From the very fact that the opponents, if 
properly posted in even the rudiments of field tactics, will 
play a running game as soon as they reach what they consider 
scoring distance, the side on the defense is enabled to relax 
much of its vigilance against a kick, and thus concentrate 
its energy as mentioned above. 

Defensive in Middle Section. When the play is out- 
side the twenty-five-yard line, that is, in the middle section of 
the three transverse divisions, or the section known as " kick- 
ing territory," the formation should be more open, the full- 
back more prepared for quick kicks, the ends on the lookout 
for quarter-back or short on-side kicks, and they and the 
rush-line half-back swinging out wider on account of the 
greater danger of a long run. The guards and tackles can 
open up the line with less risk now, giving the quarter 
greater latitude, and harassing the opponents more in the 



268 FOOTBALL 

execution of the first part of the play. This is possible, 
because short centre-smashing is far less serious here than 
near the goal, and may be risked as amounting to little so 
far as practically affecting the result of the game goes. 

Defense when in Scoring Territory. In the third 
division, that is, in the opponents' goal (your " scoring terri- 
tory''), the side not having possession of the ball should 
send its men through at the probable kickers with almost 
unlimited freedom, only the reserve of two men being back 
to receive the kick until it is actually made. One man, and 
one man only, on each side the line should watch for fake 
kicks, and the rest be sent through regardless of conditions. 
These two watchers for fake kicks, as soon as the actual kick 
is assured, come back to assist the two recipients of the punt. 
The probabilities of a run should be almost entirely disre- 
garded in favor of stopping the kick, for here a blocked 
kick means a touch-down in all likelihood, either upon the 
immediate play, or upon securing the ball and crowding it 
over in short order. 

Defensive Play in Longitudinal Belts. Coming now 
to the longitudinal division of the field : as upon the offense, 
we cut the field into three parts, the middle belt and the two 
side-line belts. Here again the defense, that is, the side not 
having the ball, is fully as much affected by position longitu- 
dinally as in the offense. 

In the Middle Belt. In the middle belt the defense must 
be well extended, and well balanced in order that both sides 
may be covered with security. Always bear the wind in 
mind, and crowd your opponents to the leeward. This will 
usually mean less distance for them when they do deter- 
mine to kick. In the middle belt, force your guards through 
sharply, and have them follow a play wherever it goes. Let 
your quarter be freely movable in this belt, except when 
otherwise governed by the rules regarding the transverse 
divisions. Let your full-back keep fairly in line with the 
ball, working a little off to his own right hand, however, as 
that is the probable dropping-place of the ball if kicked. In 
the two side belts the defense may be much less arbitrary, 
especially when the ball is so close to the side line that there 



FIELD TACTICS 269 

is not room for both the end and tackle on that side of the 
line. Probably the most logical formation in this event is to 
swing the tackle over on the other side, because with the 
close proximity of the heavy guard to the end rusher, the 
latter will have no difficulty in checking any sudden push 
play. A clever move in this position is also the opening for 
the quarter and rush-line half to go through close to the cen- 
tre, one on each side, the guards making the opening. This 
is practicable, because there is no danger of a long run on the 
cramped side of the field, and the rush-line half may then 
take unusual chances, as may also the quarter. In charging 
a kicker in the side belts, always crowd him on his kicking 
side, as that will tend to make him kick out of bounds early 
in his swing. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 16, 17, and 18. Taking 
now the extreme division of the field, as in the diagram, into 
eighteen sections, the problems of the defense may be sim- 
plified by following these rules : In section 17, always pack 
your centre close, and crowd the play out to the side as much 
as possible. If jou must get off-side, don't do it on a third 
down when your opponents have not succeeded in making 
their distance. Get your men in the line down low, and 
make them lift while your full-back and quarter and half 
keep their eyes open and heads up, ready to jump for the 
assaulted point, and crowd the runner over backwards while 
the low-lying line checks him. In sections 16 and 18, and 
especially when play is near the side line, place your strength 
out at centre and beyond, and then do your best with the 
whole force of that formation to pen the opponents in so 
that their advance must be tried on the short side of centre. 
If you can crowd them tight enough here, you can pen them 
up for three downs, and at best they will have a difficult 
punt-out if they do get across the line. If the score stands 
six to nothing in your favor, and the second half is two 
thirds over, fight hard for this, because they may fail to con- 
vert it, and thus leave you the winners after all. While 
always working yourself to make every score a six point, you 
should always try to force your opponents into fours or fives. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 13, 14, and 15. Almost 



270 FOOTBALL 

the same rules apply to sections 13, 14, and 15, as to 16, 17, 
and 18, except that you cannot throw up your men quite so 
freely into and over the line. A little more care must be 
observed to prevent an end run, and on third downs quarter 
kicks may be expected. In all six of these sections especial 
efforts should be made to knock the ball out of the runner's 
hands, if possible. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 10, 11, and 12. As soon 
as the defense gets out into 10, 11, and 12, care should be 
taken, especially if the opponents have the wind, to watch for 
drop-kicks, or indications rather that such a kick is coming. 
In section 11, on a third down by the opponents, you can take 
great chances on the likelihood of a drop, letting only two 
men watch for a fake, while the rest go boldly through on 
the kicker. Let the two who are watching for a fake remem- 
ber, however, the great possibility of a quarter-kick here also. 
In sections 10 and 11, the danger of a drop, while not great, 
is considerable, but a run around the free end or against that 
tackle is also to be feared. For this reason, as the play 
approaches the side line, the defenders should not hesitate 
to swing over a man, generally the tackle, as soon as the play 
becomes close on the side line end. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 7, 8, and 9. In sections 
7, 8, and 9, play with more abandon, and let the action of the 
line be freer, especially in the attempt to stop kicks. Occa- 
sionally an unusual play by the quarter, or even by the rush- 
line back, may be made here in the attempt to catch the 
opponents unprepared, and make them lose the ball, or so 
much ground as to be unable to recover it. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 4, 5, and 6. With the 
entrance into 4, 5, and 6, screw up your line into desperate 
attempts to block a kick. When in either 4 or 6, and on a 
third down, send everybody through except the two who are 
getting back to receive the kick. Crowd the intending kicker 
down against the side line as hard as possible. Give the 
quarter a good chance to go straight through on him. 

Defensive Plays in Sections 1, 2, and 3. In 1, 2, and 3, 
try to keep the opponents penned up in number 2, that their 
full-back may be forced to kick out from between the posts, 



FIELD TACTICS 271 

if possible. This will bother him, and may make him hit 
the bar or a post. As soon as the ball is as close to the 
opponents' goal as sections 1, 2, and 3, it is well to keep up 
a pretty active motion in the rush-line, not getting off-side, 
but rapidly shifting position in order to embarrass the play 
of the holders of the ball. As they are in such dangerous 
ground, they will naturally desire to get things rather steady, 
and you, being in your opponents' goal, become quite of 
another opinion. You should give them no chance to select 
a hole in your line, and no quiet in which to steady down for 
the kick. 



CHAPTER VII 

ox THE EVE OF THE BATTLE 



State of Mind of Players. Whatever may be said of 
the ethics of it, there is no question in the mind of any man 
familiar with American intercollegiate rivalry, as to the 
willingness of the men on the contesting teams to sacrifice 
themselves in the contest for supremacy. There is really 
no hyperbole in the heading of this chapter, so far as the 
feelings of the men are concerned, except that, on the eve 
of the football match, they are thinking only of the victory or 
defeat, while before a real battle their thoughts might revert 
to the personal peril in the undertaking. 

Each man is wrought up to the highest pitch. The test 
of skill for wdiich he has trained for months — perhaps for 
more than one season — is about to be made. He is to stand 
before the eyes of his college, bearing its colors, and fight 
for them with all his skill and all his courage until the final 
call of time puts an end to the struggle, and leaves him — 
victor or vanquished ? The captain has, perhaps, the most 
at stake, for he has his own game to play, as well as being 
responsible for the work of the others. We say nothing of 
the coach, who, with no outlet in actual play for his feelings, 
must endure in silence through two hours. There are the 
last instructions to give and the final decisions to be made, 
and this chapter is intended to make this a simpler and a 
more complete matter for captain and coach than are the 
usual hurried final thoughts that crowd into the mind in the 
rush of the last twenty-four hours. 

Last Day of Practice and What Should Follow. 
When the team comes off the field from the last day of 
actual practice, the coaches and captain should assemble, 
and, calling the trainer and medical adviser before them, 



ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE 273 

make a final decision as to tli6 men who can be relied upon 
as fit, physically, to play. The days of carefully nursing — 
here a bad ankle, there a sprained knee — are over ; there 
can be no more " playing him easy." 

Injured Men. The men who are to go into the contest 
within forty-eight hours will be sent to their utmost if they 
once line up, and you want the best eleven, all things con- 
sidered, that you can get. It may be you have to tell the 
captain that he is n't fit to go in. It is too bad, but such a 
thing must sometimes be said. The tears roll down his cheeks, 
perhaps, when he hears the decision, but he is a better man 
for the feeling that prompts them, and it is one of those 
cases of hard luck that come sometimes to the best of us. 
If it is hard to tell him, just mark these lines in this book 
and show them to him. He will not be the first captain who 
has had to bear this severe decision. As to injuries, it lies 
with the medical adviser and the trainer to give you the best 
information they can. A recent sprain may be very tightly 
bandaged, and a man, especially a line man, who does not 
need speed, can get through all right. An old sprain is less 
likely to be made good in this way, because from rest or fur- 
ther injury the limb is more or less weakened. A medical 
adviser must do his best for you in the sense of putting 
aside any question of the sensation of pain that the victim 
might have, while yet not jeopardizing health or a limb. 
The doctor, if his connection with football has been a very 
close one, ought to know that the patient will not feel much 
of anything during the game anyway. He has other things 
to think of, and if he himself be asked he will surely say 
that he is well enough to play. 

Over-Trained Men. A more delicate matter comes up 
when there is no injury, but a player has been over-trained, 
and it is doubtful what he will be worth in the fever of a 
game. Here the decision must be governed somewhat by 
the exigencies of the case; If the substitute is greatly infe- 
rior, it is worth while to take some decided chances. If the 
coach and his advisers decide to play such a man, it is, per- 
haps, just as well, if he has supposed that he would not play, 
to let him remain in that conviction until the morning of the 



274 FOOTBALL 

game. It may give him a good night's rest that he other- 
wise would have missed. 

Possible Players. It is necessary to go over the entire 
list of the possible players in order that, in the later discus- 
sion as to what men shall be used, the coach and captain 
shall know exactly the physical fitness of every man. Lists 
should be made giving the sound men, the possible men, and 
those who are out of the question entirely. Then the last 
two lists should be carefully gone over once more before a 
final decision is rendered. 

Captain at the Conference. It is a question whether 
the captain is absolutely needed at this meeting. Usually 
the captain is a man of sufficient force of character to prefer 
to have a voice in everything that concerns his team. But 
he may be over-trained himself, or, for some other reason, 
not be in condition to be worried with the details of this 
discussion. The coaches can take this off his shoulders if he 
so prefer. Should it be necessary, as noted above, to put 
the captain himself among the list of "out of the question," 
then the substitute field captain may attend these meetings 
so that he may know the condition of his men. 

Second Meeting. Consideration of the Line -Up. 
This meeting finished, the next one — and it may be attended 
by the same men, though the medical adviser may leave at 
his option, but usually the quarter-back should be summoned 
to attend — is held to determine the exact line-up of the 
game. The lists of men as submitted by the medical adviser 
and trainer are read over, and the question is opened. The 
points to be considered that might possibly be overlooked 
are the question of the ground (that is, whether home 
grounds or not ; for some players are better at home, and 
others when away), the probability of good or bad weather, 
for some players are "mud horses," while others are entirely 
at sea in sloppy weather and with a greasy ball, and finally, 
the style of play likely to be met. It is possible that the 
opponents have a remarkable punter who can always send the 
ball a long distance, and who is so much relied upon that 
the whole game has, perhaps, been arranged with especial 
regard to his work. In that case you must put in some 



ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE 275 

punter who can fairly match, his kicks, whether your man 
be a very good man otherwise or not. Whereas, if you 
know your opponents have only an ordinary kicker you can 
get along with an inferior punter, and rely upon doing more 
in a running game. 

What Plays will be Used and When. Having then 
settled upon your line-up you take up the consideration of 
your style of game. Here get out your diagram of the field, 
and go carefully over the problems, discussing the chances 
and changes dependent upon wind, weather, or conditions of 
your men or of your opponents. If the last day's practice 
has been held at a suj6B.ciently early hour, it may be that you 
have finished these discussions before bed-time in the even- 
ing. If so, it may be well to take the team into your discus- 
sion of plays. But usually it is so late that the following 
morning is the time for that. It will not be necessary to 
advise the team of the seriousness of the condition of some 
good player who has been counted upon, but put upon the 
list of "out of the question.'' Some teams, however, are 
mature enough and strong enough to face the situation, and 
may be told the exact condition of affairs. No matter how 
much there may be to discuss in these points of the line-up 
and the policy of play to be adopted, the whole should be 
settled before noon of the next day, save, perhaps, such 
few points as the coaches themselves decide to settle at the 
last moment. This will leave a good twenty-four hours of 
rest for the team, with their minds at ease, knowing that 
everything has been carefully considered and is determined 
upon according to the best judgment of all their advisers. 

Ground Rules. Ground rules are best arranged several 
days before the match, if possible, for then they may enter 
into the calculations of the advisers in the final arrangement 
of plays. If, however, these rules have not been agreed upon, 
the officials and the captains should meet the night before 
the game and decide upon them, as well as the interpretation 
of doubtful rules. These agreements should be all drawn up 
in writing and signed by the umpire, and referee, and both 
captains. The list should be read over to the assembled 
team and substitutes the morning of the game, and if there 



276 FOOTBALL 

be any unusual or especially important rulings these should 
be again read to the team when in their suits ready for the 
game. This duty should not be left to anybody, — coach, cap- 
tain, or somebody or other. The coach should appoint some 
man whose sole duty it shall be to perform this office. Then 
it will not be forgotten. Many a good team has lost a match 
on a neglected, or rather forgotten, ground rule. Another man 
of the coaches should be appointed to see that everything 
concerning the uniforms is looked to and in complete repair 
and readiness. Not that he should personally take the shoes 
to the bootmaker to have the cleats renewed, or go to the 
tailor to have the elastic band properly fitted in the jacket and 
trousers, but it should be his duty to see that it is all done, 
and that, before ten o'clock of the morning of the game, 
there is not a missing part in the way of proper uniforms 
for all players and substitutes. It is just as well to have it 
understood that he report the fact to the head coach at that 
hour. A team upon which there is a half-back with worn-off 
cross-pieces may be beaten on that account, and many a team 
has been handicapped by some such piece of carelessness. 

Selection of .Officials. The officials have already been 
spoken of in this chapter as though they had been selected 
some weeks before the game, and so they are usually, and 
it indicates a bad state of affairs if such a matter has not 
been settled well in advance. Unfortunately, through dis- 
putes or disagreements, or the attempt by each side to 
'obtain some advantage in this respect, it sometimes happens 
that the umpire and referee are not chosen until the very 
last minute. This may mean a too hasty selection, and 
subsequent dissatisfaction. The home team usually has 
something the better of it on late selections, as there is a 
greater chance of incompetent men deciding in favor of the 
home team on doubtful points ; but this is by no means 
always the case, and a team that reckons on such an advan- 
tage is served properly if they lose the game by their own 
folly. Officials ought never to be picked up from the side 
lines on the day of a game. It hurts football and spoils 
sport. It is a wise plan for the coach of a team, if occasion 
offers, to see the umpire and referee acting in some other 



ON THE EVE OF THE BATTLE 



277 



matclies before the day of the game, because he can then 
instruct his team as to their methods and rulings. 

Morning of the Game and Final Touches. On the 
morning of the game the team should be put through the 
signals, and the succession of substitutes not only settled, 
but the substitutes themselves put through the signals, and 
full instructions given them as to their calls in order that 
they may spend their time while on the side lines to the 
greatest advantage in watching the play of their probable 
opponent or opponents. A substitute tackle, for instance, 
when called upon in the second half, ought to be as familiar 
with the play of the man he is to face as is the player who 
is just leaving the field. 



CHAPTER VIII 

THE MORAL FACTORS IN ' AN IMPORTANT GAME 

Coraparison between War and Football. A com- 
parison has often been made between the tactics of football 
and the theory of war. Looked at from one standpoint, the 
difference between the two is radical. A close study of both 
subjects, however, will reveal a very remarkable and inter- 
esting likeness between the theories which underlie great 
battles and the miniature contests on the gridiron. 

It is not strictly within the scope of this book to follow 
out this comparison, though it might be interesting and 
profitable to the football coach. But in considering the 
moral factors in the game of football, there is much to be 
gained by a reference to the moral agents in war, and the 
value placed upon these agents by great commanders and 
tacticians. 

Napoleon's '' Three to One " Ratio. It was a maxim 
of Napoleon's that in war the " moral " is to the " physical '' 
in the ratio of three to one. This ratio of the moral and the 
physical is doubtless equally great in the game of football. 
It remains to be discovered just what these moral agents in 
football are, and this discovery cannot be made in any better 
way than by continuing the analogy a little further, and 
briefly enumerating the moral agents in war. McPherson, 
in his " Theory of War," clearly points out these moral 
forces, and we cannot do better than adopt his classifi- 
cation, referring at the same time to the parallels in the 
sport of football. 

The Moral Agents in "War. The moral agencies in 
war might be classed under four heads : — 

(1) The Personal Qualities of the Commander-in- 
Chief. His knowledge of human nature ; his power of 



THE MORAL FACTORS IN AN IMPORTANT GAME 279 

influencing men through their hopes, fears, passions, inter- 
ests, or prejudices ; his ability to gain the love and confi- 
dence of his troops ; his coolness, self-reliance, and readiness 
of resource in emergencies ; with other qualities of a simi- 
lar nature. 

Coming now to the game of football, we find the cor- 
relative of these qualities in quarter-back generalship ; in 
the influence of the captain over his men ; in his reputation 
for coolness ; in the comprehension of field tacti^cs ; in his 
self-reliance, and readiness of resource in all emergencies ; 
and in the power of his last appeals to his team. These 
are all properly moral agents. If the captain does not pos- 
sess them, the coach must do all he can to supply the 
deficiency both to the captain and to the team. It is better, 
of course, that they should be possessed by the captain 
himself, but in no case should they be overlooked, or their 
value underestimated. 

The Qualifications of Generalship. On this subject 
let us quote the exact words of Napoleon : — 

" The first quality of a general-in-chief is to have a cool 
head, which receives only a just impression of objects. He 
should not allow himself to be dazzled either by good or bad 
news. The sensations which he receives, successively or 
simultaneously, in the course of a day, should be classed in 
his memory so as to only occupy the just place due to each ; 
for reason and judgment are the resultant of the correct 
comparison of many sensations. There are some men who, 
on account of their physical and moral constitution, make 
a single picture for themselves out of every event ; whatever 
knowledge, wit, courage, and other qualities they may pos- 
sess, nature has not called them to the command of armies, 
and the direction of great military operations." 

Detecting the Critical Moment. Famous generals 
have all shared this opinion of Napoleon's. It must not be 
forgotten that in every battle there is a decisive point, and 
a decisive moment (which, once let slip, never returns), on 
which, and at which, every disposable horse, man, and gun 
should be brought into action. The problem is to correctly 
appreciate that point and time, and know when it arrives. 



280 FOOTBALL 

The commander who antici]Dates the decisive moment, and 
brings forward his reserves too soon, is lost. The personal 
qualities before enumerated are manifested in their highest 
degree by the faculty of correctly determining this decisive 
moment. The knowledge of when, where, and how to make 
an attack is the critical thing which distinguishes great 
generalship, whether in war or football. 

(2) Stratagems. The object of a stratagem in war is to 
deceive the enemy as to your designs. To illustrate this in 
its simplest form, if a commander desired a general action, 
he would spread reports of the weakness of his army, and 
api^ear to avoid one. If, on the contrary, he did not desire 
a general action, he would put on a bold face and appear 
desirous to engage. 

Strategy in war finds its parallel in football in the various 
plays and formations designed and employed by the team. 
It is not enough that a team should depend upon the simple 
formations already so familiar to the average opponent that 
he can tell, with reasonable certainty, the nature of the 
attack, and where it is to be made in the line. With equal 
certainty he has probably been coached on exactly how to 
repel that form of attack. To depend upon this simple form 
of offense is to voluntarily ignore one of the most valuable 
weapons in football — namely, strategy.-^ 

Force of Strategy in Football. It is a great thing in 
football to keep your opponents guessing. Properly, they 
ought never to be permitted to so successfully " size up " 
the impending play that they are able to move headlong into 
the defense of their own position, without a doubt of the 
nature of the attack. You should always work upon your 
opponents, not merely with muscle, but with brain. Your 
operations should demand of them that, at one and the same 
time, they exercise equally their minds and their bodies. 

1 The vise of the word " strategy " in connection with football operations is 
never technically correct. Strategy can only be applied to the movements 
which are made when no enemy is in sight. The moment that the enemy is in 
sight, the proper term for such operations is " tactics." However, inasmuch 
as, in football, the opponents are always in sight, the use of the word " strat- 
egy " is technically impossible. It is only used in this connection by virtue 
of the license which it has obtained from repeated use, by other writers, in 
the last two or three years. 



THE MORAL FACTORS IN AN IMPORTANT GAME 281 

How difficult tMs may become, at critical moments, many 
of our readers can realize by experience. With, your own 
players thoroughly skilled in their attack, and not needing 
to enter upon it with any doubt or uncertainty, but with, a 
concentration of mind and body both upon the one desired 
result, they are, theoretically, in a position of distinct advan- 
tage over the opponents, whose physical movements must 
wait upon their mental processes. The moment that you 
present to your opponents a form of play so simple as to 
ignore the necessity of a mental impression after the attack 
is begun, — in other words, so simple as to make it possible 
for them to readily predicate what the movement is to be, — 
you lose the advantage just mentioned, and their defense may, 
without extreme risk, be fully as precipitate as your attack. 

(3) The Elation or Depression of the Soldiers. This 
may arise from any cause — from former defeats or victories ; 
from the health or sickness of the troops ; from confidence 
or distrust in the commander, etc. 

The correspondent of this in football is the prestige of the 
team, or the college which the team represents; the spirit 
which is infused into the players by a realization of the 
issue ; most important of all, the attainment of a right degree 
of confidence which never distrusts itself or the final result, 
yet stops just short of that over confidence which is so 
harmful. 

(4) Information, and the Means of Obtaining It. 
This would mean in war the knowledge of the country, its 
topography and resources, its roads and turnpikes, its rivers 
and railways, its storehouses and factories, its people and 
their temper, etc. It would also involve accurate intelli- 
gence of the enemy's movements, without which the great- 
est military talent is useless. The faculty of organizing a 
system of intelligence is a prominent quality of a great com- 
mander in war. 

One may draw the parallel between this intelligence and 
the intelligence required in football, by pointing out to the 
experienced coach the necessity of a thorough apprehension 
of the rules by every one of his players, and 'the ability to 
act instinctively upon this information, which will only come 



282 FOOTBALL 

to the player when his information is well-grounded and 
thoroughly assimilated by him. His knowledge of the rules 
must be more than skin deep. If it is a " cramming " of the 
last few weeks, it can profit him little in the direction which 
we are indicating. It is not football knowledge which is so 
valuable to the player as football instinct, and by this is 
meant the certain ability to act intuitively and automatically 
upon the knowledge he possesses, doing the right thing at 
the right time, regardless of any previous specific coaching 
upon the point in question. No two games of football can 
ever be quite alike. The situations which constantly arise 
cannot be entirely apprehended and provided for by the coach 
in his instructions. The players must meet many emergen- 
cies, armed with no other weapon than their football instinct, 
and this can only come by an absorption of the rules and 
foundation principles of the playing game. 

Explanation of Many Defeats. It is these qualities, 
then, combined together, which represent the moral factors 
in football, and it is, perhaps, not conceding too much to 
admit that the ratio between the moral and the physical in 
war, as determined by Napoleon, may also be established 
between these moral factors in football and the mere physi- 
cal factor of force or strength. 

Too often the public forms its estimates of probable results 
from the physical factors which are visible rather than from 
the moral factors which are invisible. They do not see 
the moral forces which are being employed by the master- 
hand behind the scenes. This " three to one " power is 
responsible for many seemingly inexplicable defeats. Cor- 
respondents of the press, and the unreasoning partisans of a 
defeated team raise the cry of ^' luck " in football. Obviously 
there is a percentage of luck in the game, just as there is 
luck in any of the situations of life. But football games are 
not won or lost by luck, except in very rare instances. What 
appears to be luck is inevitably some one of the moral quali- 
ties here enumerated, which, carefully nurtured by one coach, 
and perhaps unapprehended or unappreciated by the oppo- 
nents, proves to be the turning-point in the contest. 

The two teams may have been developed along exactly 



THE MORAL FACTOES IN AN IMPORTANT GAME 283 

similar lines ; to the ordinary observer, and by the tests of 
ordinary comparison, they are developed to an approximately 
equal state of efficiency. Yet these two teams play together 
through a series of years with the result of one of the two 
teams continually winning, and the other continually losing. 
The public, naturally anxious to know the reason for this, is 
full of inquiries : " Are they not practically the same young 
men, brought from the same schools ? Are they not of the same 
age, and is it not a matter of mere chance whether they attend 
one college or the other ? " The answer to this question may 
be read between the lines of this chapter. It is not the dif- 
ference in strength or the difference in skill. Neither is it by 
a preponderance of instruction given to one team. Fre- 
quently we find, upon examination, that the eleven best play- 
ers would comprise five from one team and six from the 
other. It is not always the increased knowledge of the prin- 
ciples of team play. The difficulty lies, too often, in the 
moral forces here enumerated. It is for this reason that the 
subject has been given the importance of a separate chapter. 



\ 



CHAPTER IX 

IMPROVED SIGNALING 

The Use of Signals in Football. Every attempt to 
advance the ball is ordered by a private signal called, usually, 
by the quarter-back, and consisting of numbers or letters. 
It is, of course, understood only by the team itself which is 
making the play. A team which is on the defensive uses 
no signals. 

Recent Changes in Signals. Signals are a very impor- 
tant part of football operations, as they are carried on in the 
present game. With each successive year there is a tendency 
on the part of the leading teams to simplify and abridge the 
signals used, and in the important contests of to-day the 
spectator seldom hears the long string of numbers which 
were deemed a necessary accompaniment of the game half 
a dozen years ago. At the same time the work covered by 
the signals is being increased, and great benefits have been 
gained recently by extending the operation of the signals so 
that they cover, not merely the ordering of the play, but the 
speed with which it shall start, or the moment when the ball 
shall be snapped. 

Use of Two Codes. Two codes of signals are properly 
required for the work of a college team during a season : 
the first should be the practice code, to be used in practice 
and in minor games ; the second, the final code, to be used in 
the important contests. 

In the first set the need is principally for signals which 
can be, with very little difficulty, altered from day to day, so 
that the college eleven may not become familiar with them. 
Every coach will testify that an afternoon's practice is twice 
as valuable if the second eleven is unacquainted with the sig- 
nals. It is not necessary that the system should be changed. 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 285 

but only that the key or pass-word which unlocks the system 
shall be altered from day to day, and it is possible to so 
arrange such a system of signals that they may be perfectly 
confusing to the opponents, and yet readily explained, with 
scarcely a moment's delay, to any substitute who may be 
called upon to fill a vacant place during the afternoon's prac- 
tice. 

Choice of Many Styles. In adopting a set of signals a 
choice may be made between a great many different styles. 
There may be word signals, phrase signals, letter or number 
signals. The latter may be still further subdivided into 
number signals based on addition, on odd or even terminals, 
on subtraction, and on combinations of different digits. 

It is not the purpose of this book to prescribe any one 
series of signals. The very publicity given to a set of sig- 
nals by their publication in book form would compel certain 
changes before they could be adopted in an important match. 
It is rather the object of this chapter to suggest the lines 
along which signals may be worked out ; first stating clearly 
the advantages and disadvantages of different sets of signals, 
the possibilities of extreme simplicity in the combinations, 
and the methods of conveying added information, without 
multiplying numbers. 

What is Really Needed. The important point in any 
set of signals is that they shall be as clear to the team which 
uses them as they are unintelligible to its opponents. To 
these two necessities there may be added a few other desir- 
able qualifications. The signals should be capable of being 
quickly and surely handled by thfe quarter-back ; they should 
be as short as possible, to the end that they may not slow 
down the play. Single digits are always better, other things 
being equal, than double numbers, since the single digit can 
be called with a snap and vim which communicates a certain 
quickness to the action of the team. 

Two Sets in One Game. One often hears the advice 
given that no team should go into a match without a reserve 
set of signals to be used in the event of the regular signals 
being discovered by the opponents. As a matter of fact, 
very few teams could prepare two sets of signals for any im- 



286 FOOTBALL 

portant match without finding the remedy to be more haz- 
ardous than the original danger. A better system is for the 
team to have recourse, in such a case, to the regular set of 
signals which it has used in its practice during the season, 
and which can always be fallen back upon with a reasonable 
degree of security. 

As previously stated, the tendency in the modern game is 
toward a simplification of the signals ; and it is not too much 
to expect that we shall, within a very few years, find our 
leading teams playing with no spoken signals except at rare 
intervals, the play being directed by signs, and the use of 
sequences of plays previously committed to memory, and 
played very rapidly, without signal of any sort after the first 
call has been given. 

We shall later refer to the advisability of employing one 
such sequence of plays at certain critical stages in the game. 
Before touching upon this, however, let us take up the sub- 
ject of signals proper, and show a few codes which may sug- 
gest the possibilities of lines along which signals may be 
framed. 

A Good Method of Numbering the Holes. Starting, 
then, with a simple set of signals for the use of a school 
team, let us suppose the various holes in the line to be num- 
bered as follows : — 

ISTo. 1 hole, — Around your own right end. 

No. 2 hole, — The first hole inside your right end. 

No. 3 hole, — The second hole inside your right end. 

No. 4 hole, — The second hole on the right of your centre 
rush. 

No. 5 hole, — The first hole on the right of your centre rush. 

No. 6 hole, — The first hole on the left of your centre rush. 

No. 7 hole, — The second hole on the left of your centre rush. 

No. 8 hole, — The second hole inside your left end. 

No. 9 hole, — The first hole inside your left end. 

No. 10 hole, — Around your left end. 

The object of this elaborate enumeration is to prevent a 
possible misunderstanding in the event of a rush-line back 
playing in the line beside the tackle, or a quarter-back mov- 
ing in between the guard and centre, while the guard moves 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 287 

out. Unless some provision has been made for such a con- 
tingency, there will be a doubt in the minds of some of your 
team whether the hole is to be on the outside or the inside 
of the extra man, or, in other words, whether the extra man 
is to be thrown out or in. This little uncertainty may suffice 
to ruin the success of the play. By employing such a sys- 
tem of hole numbering as is here shown, the error is guarded 
against. For example, if no extra man has stepped into the 
line, and the hole number is indicated by the signal 3, it will 
be between guard and tackle ; if it is indicated by 4, it will 
also be between guard and tackle. If, on the other hand, the 
quarter-back has stepped up into the line between the centre 
and guard, and the guard has moved out, hole No. 4 would 
be between the quarter-back and the guard, while hole No. 5 
would be between the centre and the quarter. 

The Signal Completed. With this system of hole num- 
bering committed to memory, the signal itself is very easily 
supplied. It may be the first or second digit of the first or 
second number in the signal, and the signal may consist of 
three sets of double numbers (or three sets of numbers each 
having two digits). In such a set of signals the quarter-back 
should use finger signals to indicate the runner, and a kick 
may be indicated by a double number of the same digits at 
the finish of the signal (as 22, 33, 44, etc.). Do not put the 
kick signal where the hole number is indicated in a simple 
set of this nature. 

Arranging to Add a Starting Number. A very easy 
addition to this set of signals for an emergency would be to 
suddenly increase the number of numbers, and instead of 
using three sets only of two digits each, to use eight or nine 
double numbers, and let the play start instantly upon the 
calling of the first double number over sixty. The inter- 
mediate numbers after the calling of the signal and before the 
calling of the first double number over sixty, may be either 
single or double numbers. Thus, for example, suppose the 
second digit of the first number to be the hole number, and 
that the play started on the calling of the first number over 
sixty, the signal might be as follows : " 27, 36, 33, 9, 5, 6, 7, 
49, 65," — and the play would be off with a rush. 



288 FOOTBALL 

Another Set Illustrated. Another simple set of sig- 
nals might be based upon a different numbering of the holes, 
and would be arranged as follows : — 
No. 1 hole, — Outside end. 
No. 2 hole, — First hole outside tackle. 
No. 3 hole, — First hole outside guard. 
No. 4 hole, — First hole outside centre. 

If the key number at the end of the signal was an odd 
number, it would mean that the right side of the line was 
referred to, but if it was an even number, it would mean that 
the hole was on the left side of the centre. The set of sig- 
nals might be composed of four single digits ; the difference 
between the first and second digits would be the hole num- 
ber. The third digit would have no meaning whatever, and 
the fourth digit, if it was odd, would mean that the hole was 
on the right side of the centre, in the position as signaled, 
and if it was even, that the hole was on the left side of the 
centre in the position as signaled. 

Thus the signal 2, 5, 8, 1, would mean that the play was in 
hole 5 less 2, or hole 3, which is the hole first outside of your 
guard's position, and the last number being an odd number, 
you would understand that it was the right guard. 

With this set of signals it would still be necessary to em- 
ploy finger signals for the runner. A kick would be signaled 
by the fact that there was no difference between the first 
and second numbers, as 6, 6, 3, 1. It may be argued for 
such a simple series that the signal for the kick was too 
transparent, and indeed it would be. It will not be difficult, 
however, to devise some additional means of signaling for a 
kick, which shall make it impossible for the opponents to 
decide with any accuracy how the kick is ordered. 

A Combination on One Double Number only. A 
good set of signals of a very simple sort, composed of only 
one double number, with suitable additions to screen it from 
the opponents, may be made up as follows (using the same 
numbering of the holes as described in the last set of sig- 
nals). Let the first digit be the hole number, and the second 
.digit designate the side of the line on which the play is to 
be ordered. If the second digit is odd, it is on the right side 



IMPKOVED SIGNALING 289 

of the line ; if even, on the left side of the line. A double 
number of the same digits would be the signal for a kick ; 
finger signal for the runner. In all the sets we have thus 
far considered, the formation of the line-up must be sepa- 
rately announced before calling the signal. 

With this last set of signals it would be possible to con- 
fine the signal to three sets of double numbers, of which 
the first and last would mean nothing; the middle, to be 
composed of two digits, would indicate by the first digit the 
number of the hole, and by the second digit whether the 
hole was on the right or left of the line. If this second 
digit was a double number it would mean a kick. Thus 47, 
39, 12, would mean that the play was just outside your right 
guard. So simple a set as this could never be used against 
experienced players. 

A Combination on One Letter only. A set which is 
not difficult, but may yet be very confusing to the oppo- 
nents, can be composed of letters in such a way that one 
single letter alone is needed to convey the signal. The set 
is based upon the visualization of the lower-case letters of the 
alphabet, as they appear in writing (not printing), and the 
designation of the hole would be conveyed as follows : 
Any vowel stands for a play around the end. A consonant 
with no extension above or below the line (as c, m, n, r, s, 
V, w, z) would mean the hole between end and tackle ; any 
consonant having an upward loop (as b, d, h, 1, t) would 
mean the hole between tackle and guard ; any consonant 
having a downward loop (as g, q, y) would mean the hole 
between guard and centre ; any consonant having both an 
upward and downward loop (as f, j, p), would indicate a 
kick. The formation would be called by the quarter-back 
before the signal, and there would be a finger signal for the 
runner. 

The right or left hand side of the line might be indicated 
in a variety of ways ; a second letter might be called which, 
if it was further along in the alphabet than the first letter, 
would indicate a play on the right side of the line, but if it 
was nearer the head of the alphabet than the first letter, 
or, in other words, if the letters were given reading back- 



290 FOOTBALL 

wards from their usual order, the play would be on the left 
side of the line. 

A Well-Concealed System Illustrated. Another set 
of siguals; which lacks a little the element of brevity, but 
is cleverly covered up from the comprehension of the oppo- 
nents, would be based on a numbering of the holes as ex- 
plained in the first set of signals here given, where the 
openings are numbered from 1 to 0, and provision is made 
for ten different openings in the line. One digit only is 
needed to designate the hole in such a system, and this 
would be the first digit of the first number following any 
number under 20. Thus, for example, 67, 83, 55, 19, 27, 4, 
6, 5, would indicate that the play was the first hole inside 
your own right end. The same play might have been indi- 
cated by the signal 1, 2. By this set of signals a kick 
would be indicated in the signal by the absence of any 
number under 20. Thus, 65, 47, 23, 84, 71, would call for 
a kick. 

Example of Practice Signals with a Changeable 
Key. We have already mentioned the advisability of a 
set of signals based upon a certain key or countersign, 
which may be changed from day to day, while the system 
remains the same. Such a set of signals is an excellent one 
for use in the earlier practice of the season, for by changing 
the countersign or key-number each day, it is possible to 
successfully mystify the opponents during the short interval 
of practice. 

A ver};^ good set of this nature can be made up as follows : 
— the quarter-back calling the formation before the signal is 
given, and indicating by his fingers who the runner is to be. 
Let the hole be the first digit of the first number following 
any number in the twenties. Thus, for example, 53, 96, 17, 
28, 45, 6, 9, 3, would signal for hole 4, since it was the first 
digit of the first number following the first number in the 
twenties. With such a series it would be well to employ 
the numbering of the holes which provides for ten holes for 
the runner, and includes both sides of the line, leaving it 
unnecessary to signal that the play is to go on the right or 
left of the centre. 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 291 

If such a set was used as here given on the first after- 
noon of practice, it might be changed, on the second after- 
noon, by establishing the key, as any number in the fifties, 
or any number under twenty, or any number in the thirties 
over 34, but not under 34 ; on the next afternoon it might 
be shifted by making the hole number not the first digit, 
but the second digit, of the first number following the key 
number. If the key was any number in the forties, for 
example, and the hole number was the second digit of the 
first number following any number in the forties, hole No. 1 
might be signaled for as follows : 13, 6, 89, 49, 31, 77. 

The changes of the key number and the number of the 
digit which designates the hole, may be so endlessly con- 
tinued that a single set of signals of this nature is all that 
is needed by both elevens during the early weeks of the 
season. When the use of double numbers has been so far 
employed as to exhaust the seeming resources, triple num- 
bers may be employed, or the key number may be located 
as between two other numbers 5 for example, instead of say- 
ing that the key number was any number in the thirties, 
let it be put as any number between 35 and 45, and thus 
further complicate the system when it has become too 
familiar. 

Example of an Advanced Set for an Important 
Contest. We have so far given only those signals which 
provide for the calling of the formation in advance of the 
signal, and the giving of a separate finger signal to the 
runner. Let us now study one elaborate set of signals, 
showing how much may be conveyed by the calling of three 
or four single digits. We will use for this set the enumer- 
ation of the holes as first given, with allowances for ten 
places in the line at which the runner may emerge. 

We now number each formation from one to twelve, 
beyond which number it is not best to go, and, indeed there 
are few teams who ought to enter an important game with 
as many as twelve different line-ups. 

(The advantage of not going beyond twelve is that we are 
endeavoring to confine this set of signals to three numbers 
which can be pronounced with the greatest speed, and we 



292 FOOTBALL 

must avoid extra syllables. Eleven and twelve are each 
pronounced hurriedly as one syllable. But the moment we 
enter upon thirteen we have a number which must be 
called as two syllables, and which is, therefore, somewhat 
clumsy to use in signaling. This objection applies to all 
the numbers between twelve and twenty ; it is, therefore, 
best to limit the line-up number to twelve, if possible.) 

We will compose the signal of three single numbers, none 
of them over twelve ; each signal is to be called at least 
twice. Each different line-up or initial formation is to be 
designated by a number, and this number is to be the first 
of the three numbers in the signal. 

The second number in'dicates the hole, if a regular forma- 
tion is used, or the number of the outlet, if the formation 
is a " special " formation, radically different from the cus- 
tomary line-up. This change of the second number by 
means of which we use it at one time to designate the hole 
in the regular notation, and again to designate the number 
of a pla}^ in a special series or line-up, is adopted in order 
to prevent the opponents from singling out any number in 
the simple series of three digits, which shall always be the 
hole number. It would manifestly be the most serious of 
all mishaps if the opponents were able to detect the scheme 
of the hole number. Where a single set of three digits is 
employed, the hole number must clearly be one of these 
three, and it would not require much effort on the part of a 
bright man to pick it out. On the other hand, the use of 
this second number, alternately as the hole number and as 
the number of a play in a particular series of plays from 
the same line-up, is just sufficient to confuse the opponents 
and prove conclusively to them that they do not know the 
system by which the hole is designated. 

The third figure in the signal is to be a " speeder," or a 
signal to indicate the rapidity with which the play is to be 
executed. If this third figure is 3, 6, 9, or 12, the play is to 
be made instantly upon the beginning of the second calling of 
the signal. If it is any other figure under twelve, the play 
is to start when the ball goes, and not before, and the ball is 
to go back in the ordinary way. 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 293 

The calling of the hole number, as 10, 11, or 12, would 
indicate a kick, and if the play was a drop-kick, it would 
doubtless have a special formation for its protection, and 
would be called, not as the hole number of a regular forma- 
tion, but as the series number of a special formation. No 
formation need be called, and the opponents lose the advan- 
tage of hearing the formation designated. 

A few examples of this set of signals will make their 
working clearer. Let us suppose that we have a series of 
formations as follows : — 

Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, Simpler formations, to be signaled by hole 
numbers. 

Ends back. 

Left end over. 

Tandem formation at tackle. 

Trick play for side line. 

Trick play, long pass. 

Special formation for criss-cross. 

Special formation for protection of drop- 
kick. 
Formations Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 would indicate by their 
second number the hole in the line, according to the regular 
system of numbering. The other formations would indicate 
by their second number the number of the play in the series 
having that especial line-up. Thus 3, 9, 6, the formation 
would be a regular formation ; the play would be just inside 
the left end, and the play would be made instantly on the 
conclusion of the second calling of the signal. 5, 2, 4, the 
formation would be ends back ; the play would be the second 
play in the series from that formation, and it would not start 
until the ball came in the regular way. 10, 1, 3, the forma- 
tion would be the special formation for a criss-cross; the 
play would be the first play of that series, and it would be 
made instantly on the finishing of the second calling of the 
signal. 

Individual Preferences of Players. Enough has been 
given here on the subject of signals to indicate the possi- 
bilities of the situation. One last point : adapt the signals 
to the team. Some teams will take more readily to one set 



No. 


5 . 


No. 


6. . 


No. 


7 . 


No. 


8. . 


No. 


9 . 


No. 


10 . 


No. 


11 . 



29-4 FOOTBALL 

of signals than to another. There are teams which cannot 
seem to handle a signal that requires subtraction ; there are 
other teams which will positively rebel at the use of any 
letters in a signal. Yet these teams will find not the slight- 
est difficulty with a more complicated set of signals based 
on numbers alone. As a rule, teams do not like signals 
based on both numbers and letters, and they are very apt to 
give numbers the preference over any other form of signal. 

Quick Sequences without Signal. Before closing this 
chapter we want to revert to the subject of sequences of 
plays, where different movements are executed without sig- 
nal, the order of the movements having previously been 
committed to memory. The use of the word " sequences " 
is here meant to cover any plays, not necessarily from the 
same line-up. A team which has had no previous experience 
in sequences had better limit their use to a single sequence 
of three plays. They should be three of the strongest plays 
which the team can employ, and the object of the sequence 
is to play them without signals, to the end that they may be 
sent away with the greatest speed, and without waiting for 
special information by signal after the usual method. 

If the sequence is composed of three plays, the first one 
may be a dash around the end, the second may be between 
tackle and guard, and the third between tackle and guard on 
the other side of the line. Whatever they are, they should 
be constantly practised as a series of three movements, with- 
out any intermission or pause, and without any instructions 
from the quarter-back between the different movements. It 
goes without saying that the team must be able to line up 
before their opponents in every one of these manoeuvres. 
In fact, quickness in lining up is the vital necessity in all 
sequences. It is of little use to employ a sequence, or to 
waste time in committing to memory the order of any plays, 
unless the team, to a man, shall line up almost before the 
runner is off the ground. 

The Signaling for a Sequence. The best method of 
signaling a sequence varies according to the nature of the 
system of signals which may be employed. One method 
would be to let the first number be a separate number, en- 



IMPROVED SIGNALING 295 

tirely apart from the signal itself, letting it be a single digit 
under 10, and always followed by a decided pause before the 
rest of the signal is given. If the signal proper was 9, 5, 
2, and it was desired to signal for a special sequence, it 
might be called as follows : 12 — 9, 5, 2. In this case 9, 5, 2 
would, of necessity, be the first play in the arranged sequence, 
and the calling of the figure 12 — with a pause — would 
signify that three plays were to be played, following each 
other in the most rapid manner, and without any further 
signal. 

It is well to construct a sequence for use inside the oppo- 
nents' twenty -five-yard line, and in the making up of a set 
of signals it will be necessary to provide for it in their con- 
struction. 



CHAPTER X 

TRAINING 

Training a Systematic Preparation. Training is a 
preparation. If the captain and coach can keep this fully 
in mind far fewer mistakes will be made and the tales of 
teams going to pieces in the middle of a season will be much 
less frequent. As a rule, a team has but one or two great 
games, toward which the management looks as the real end 
of all the striving. These matches come at the last of the 
season, usually within a week or ten days of one another. 
In many instances there is but one really great game. It 
may be argued that this is unfortunate from a theoretical 
standpoint, and that, as football is only a sport, the interest 
should be to get as much amusement out of the season as 
possible, and from this view every game should be an occa- 
sion for simple enjoyment. In this book it is not our pur- 
pose to dwell upon the ethics of college sport, but to treat 
the game of football exactly as it is, rather than as it might 
be in Arcadia. 

To Produce the Best Play of which the Team is 
Capable. The preparation, then, with us is directed toward 
placing a team in the field upon the occasion of final contest 
in such a physical condition as shall insure their playing the 
best game of which, as individuals and as a team, they can 
be made capable. With broken-down pugilists of the past 
the methods were severe. It was believed that in severity 
of training lay the safety of condition. Possibly there was 
some truth in this, but probably even in these cases and in 
the old days more would have been accomplished by less 
heroic measures. However that may be, the case of the 
average collegian is not one for violent initial overturning 
of ordinary customs. 



TRAINING 297 

Gradual and Teraperate. The more gradual the prep- 
aratioHj the safer and the more certain the final result. But 
there is much to be considered in this connection. It will not 
do to begin the preparation of football candidates in June, 
and work them gradually but steadily through July, August, 
September, and October. If that plan be pursued, it will be 
found that the mental effect of such prolonged preparatory 
labor has been to make the players tired of the game, and, of 
all sports, football needs the most fire and dash. Physically, 
if the preparation has been very temperate, the players may 
be all right, but they are sick of the game mentally. The first 
thought, then, to engage the attention of the coach, is when 
to begin the training. Some contend for a little preparatory 
work in the spring, followed by a long summer's rest, with 
occasional work on specialties, and this is, undoubtedly, a 
good plan for the kickers of a team. But outside of this, 
and in the case of the general run of men, it is best to wait 
until September before engaging in anything like the work 
of training. 

Age a Factor. The age, too, of the candidates is an im- 
portant feature, young players being especially liable to over- 
training, and requiring much attention even in a short period 
of practice. A team in one of our big universities is almost 
always sure to have one or two men of but seventeen or 
eighteen, and these should be watched with especial care. 
Even at the outset, such men should be played only every 
other day, and generally handled in a far different manner 
from the hardened veteran of twenty -four or twenty-five. 

Work of the Kickers. The early work of the kickers 
is treated in a separate chapter, but it is right to say here, 
that practice in punting and drop kicking should be short in 
hours and extended over a longer season than any of the rest 
of the work. The kickers of a team, or rather the candidates 
for positions likely to require kicking ability, should be men 
who have already had practice of a preliminary nature either 
at a preparatory school, or, at any rate, before becoming 
probable 'Varsity men. A one-season kicker is seldom satis- 
factory, either in point of length of kick, ability to " get in " 
his kick under trying circumstances, or accuracy of perform- 



298 FOOTBALL 

ance. We must suppose, then, as we do usually in the case 
of candidates for battery positions on a 'Varsity nine, that of 
the kickers the men we expect to handle have already placed 
themselves above the level of mere beginners. They should 
then be given some spring practice, and it is not a bad idea 
to stimulate this by the offer of prizes for superiority. At 
nearly all the universities this plan has been tried with more 
or less success. We say " more or less " advisedly, because 
the usual winner of such competitions is not the most ser- 
viceable kicker for a team, and is freqi^ently a man who may 
fail utterly to make a place for himself. The difficulty of 
devising methods of scoring in this kicking competition has 
something to do with this. A combination of distance, 
accuracy, and quickness should be the desired achievement 
and the winning one. ' 

Preliminary Practice. After the spring work there will 
be some few men who, perhaps, have no other athletic 
interest than football. These men may continue occasional 
practice. But the majority of men, with the varied interests 
now furnished in the athletic line, are apt to be taking up 
• something on the track, or the diamond, or in the boats. 
For this reason, any concerted practice may just as well be 
dispensed with. The men should, however, be called to- 
gether before the beginning of the long summer vacation, and 
each man should receive a ball. Nor is this enough to insure 
the proper amount of kicking practice during the summer. 
Each man should be urged to make certain promises regard- 
ing the work he will do. The average man will mean well, 
and will, on the first day that he thinks of it, and can get 
some one to chase the ball or take an interest in his punting, 
kick himself lame and tire out his muscles, and then drop it 
all for some weeks, only to do the same thing when, a month 
later, the sight of the ball pricks his conscience. There is 
no use in making drudgery of it, .but a man ought to kick 
twice or three times a week during the summer, and only a 
short time, but with attention to good form and accuracy. 
By the latter part of August the kickers should kick every 
day, and spend a week together at some rendezvous before 
assembling once more at college for the fall work. The cen- 



TRAINING 299 

tres and quarters may be included in this meeting to good 
advantage, the quarters especially for practice, and the cen- 
tres because they are apt to be soft and fat, and need the 
additional work. At this week of practice, the kickers can 
get work of especial value, in that their punting can be done 
from a pass from the quarter, and also because in the pres- 
ence of so many kickers there is plenty of practice in catch- 
ing. During this week, one or more coaches should be on 
hand — not the general coach, but the man or men who have 
charge of the kicking, and the work of the backs. As for 
the rest of the team, unless some revolution in methods of 
play may be necessary, there is no need of summer practice. 
It may be the case that a team, owing to lack of coaching or 
mistaken ideas, may have dropped entirely out of its class 
and only discovered the blunder in the final games of a sea- 
son. Then a revolution is necessary, and in such a case it 
may happen that summer practice, while in itself really an 
evil in the case of a properly drilled team, may be, in their 
case, a practical necessity, owing to the immense amount of 
work involved in assimilating new methods. 

Opening Fall Campaign and Safeguards Against 
Accidents. This brings us to the opening of the fall season 
proper, with the assembling of the players on the field after 
the term begins. Here, no matter how much general train- 
ing may have been practised by the individual during the 
late summer, there is the greatest need of caution. In spite 
of all the care that may be taken, there are almost sure to be 
some injuries in the early days of practice. This is due to a 
variety of causes ; to the bad condition of the grounds, to the 
impact with green men, in a measure, as well as to the incen- 
tive to unusual endeavor in the excitement of making a good 
showing. Every man feels that he is on trial, as he may be 
a candidate for the 'Varsity team, and only those who have 
been through it realize how a boy's heart may be set on 
achieving this honor. But a coach can do no more than to 
take every precaution, and then the chances are that he will 
get through these trying days with nothing worse than 
sprains that will mend before a month is over. . His first pre- 
caution should be to see that the ground is in good condition. 



300 FOOTBALL 

tliat it is well rolled and free from holes and hummocks. 
He should then see that every one of his promising men have 
their leather ankle supporters on. Finally, he should use 
three men behind the 'Varsity line who understand each 
other, and the simple signals, or else use no one of his best 
men there. On the first day or two the playing of a green 
man and two old men may result in accident to one of the 
good players through mistaken signals. 

Duration of Practice. The actual duration of the line- 
up playing on the first few days should be hardly over five 
minutes twice repeated. We will assume that this is the 
last week in September. The time should be kept at five- 
minute line-ups for a week, and then be extended to one ten- 
minute, and one, or on cool days two five-minute periods. 
After another week, two ten-minute line-ups may be indulged 
in, and by the end of October stretched out to fifteen or 
twenty. Match practice games at this time in a season should 
be limited to two fifteen-minute halves, or a twenty and a fif- 
teen, if the day is cool. By November, if the weather is at all 
seasonable, the players should be able to stand once or twice 
a week a second half of twenty-five minutes, after a short 
first half of ten minutes. It is well to bear in mind the fact 
that two days of hard playing ought not to come together, 
unless purely for the sake of discipline, as, for instance, in 
the case of a team that has been " babyed " too much and 
needs a lesson to show them that hard work doesn't kill 
anybody. 

Detail of Training. We have briefly outlined the course 
to be followed with the average football team, so far as the 
amount of work that may be expected of them is concerned. 
Now, as to general condition ; the four agents that effect that 
equilibrium which we call health may be grouped as exercise, 
diet, sleep, and cleanliness. So far as the limits of this chap- 
ter are concerned, we may say that the first of these agents 
has been discussed sufficiently in the directions as to the 
limits of practice. 

Diet. The next agent, diet, brings us to a question of 
more or less personal idiosyncrasy, but fortunately, in the 
case of the candidates for a football team, we have in the 



TRAINING 301 

main a set of men of normal stomach, and whose physical 
peculiarities, if at all pronounced, lie in an almost abnormal 
ability to eat and digest anything. Naturally there will be, 
here and there, an exception, but the majority are in that 
happy condition of not knowing that they have stomachs or 
livers, or any of those possessions that many find, later in 
life and under violations of the laws of health, are of such 
importance. 

Hours for Meals. In spite, however, of the fact that 
little goes amiss with our candidates in the way of food, it 
is well to be on the safe side, and to consider what foods are 
most conducive to satisfactory assimilation, and, what is 
fully as important, the best time for taking these foods into 
the system. Briefly, breakfast should be from seven to 
eight; the midday meal preferably about one o'clock, and 
surely not later than that, and the evening repast should be 
soon after six. Under these conditions, the practice should 
be from ten to eleven in the forenoon, and at some interval 
between three and five in the afternoon. Much variation of 
these hours for practice should be followed by a similar 
change in the hours of meals, two to three hours elapsing 
after eating before the violent effort, and an hour of rest suc- 
ceeding before sitting down to the table. In certain cases 
the hours of recitation or lecture in a university are such as 
to make some changes in this arrangement necessary. In 
that event, make the best of it, but conform as nearly as 
possible. Under no circumstances venture the experiment 
of permitting hard play too near a hearty meal. We have 
seen one of the strongest men incapacitated temporarily, and 
for a time it was feared quite seriously affected by such an 
injudicious plan. This man was a rugged fellow of over one 
hundred and ninety pounds in weight, strong and robust, 
who, under a physical examination by a physician, had been 
pronounced absolutely sound. He was trying for the 'Var- 
sity, and, as a new man, had not been taken to training-table, 
but was boarding at a house where it was afterwards learned 
the midday meal was served at half past one. At that time 
the practice began soon after two o'clock. The result was 
that this man ate very heartily at half past one, and then 



302 ^ FOOTBALL 

went on the field at two. In spite of this his play was strong, 
and it was some days before there was any reason to suspect 
anything wrong. The man, in some marvelous way, seemed 
able to retain the food, or there would have been an indica- 
tion of the difficulty. One day he came over in citizen's 
clothes, and was asked what was the matter. He said that 
he had concluded to give it up. Pressed for the reason, he 
said he thought there was something wrong with his heart. 
He was taken over at once for another examination, and the 
physician reported him as showing no signs of any organic 
trouble ; liowever, there might be some irritability, accord- 
ing to the man's account, and it was decided to watch him. 
After a few days' observation, the doctor hit upon the trou- 
ble when he learned the time of his dinner. This corrected, 
the man speedily came into shape. 

Kind of Food and How Served. As to the kinds of 
food best suited for the training-table, they are unquestion- 
ably, for stand-bys, beef and mutton in the way of meats, 
toast and stale bread, vegetables and fruits in moderation, 
and water. Football diet may be far more liberal without 
error than that of certain other athletes, and the addition of 
eggs, occasionally, fish, provided it can be secured in an ab- 
solutely fresh condition, oatmeal, and plain puddings, are 
perfectly allowable. It would seem unnecessary to go into 
further particulars, but experience has satisfied us that it is 
advisable to take up the detail of this matter with far more 
care. It is no exaggeration to state that a team fed upon 
the above foods may go entirely out of condition, owing 
merely to the cooking or the service of the food. Therefore, 
let us say at the outset that the food should be well cooked, 
appetizing, and served in a tempting fashion. The meats 
are best broiled or roasted. In spite of a prejudice against 
warmed-over meats for men in training, an occasional re- 
chauffee is by no means to be entirely condemned, as it makes 
an agreeable change when attractively cooked. Boiling is 
not so satisfactory a method of cooking as roasting, but not 
to be entirely tabooed. Frying is not well suited as a means 
of cooking meat or anything else for men in training, although 
an occasional fried Qg^, if free from grease, is not likely to 






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304 FOOTBALL 

be injurious, and is a most agreeable change from the more 
flabby boiled and poached article. 

Vegetables. It is sometimes asked what vegetables may, 
with advantage, be added to the menu of the training-table. 
They are as follows : Potatoes, onions, spinach, asparagus, 
cooked celery, artichokes, French beans, and the like. Un- 
fortunately, in the East it is impossible to get all these fresh 
in the season of football, and canned food of all kinds should 
be avoided because it is sometimes in a condition to be in- 
jurious. Peas are not to be recommended, because usually 
"bolted," that is, not sufficiently masticated, by the men. 
If they are all crushed on the plate with the fork, that dif- 
ficulty is avoided. 

Drinks. Upon the question of drinks there is a wide dif- 
ference of opinion. As a rule, water is sufficiently satisfy- 
ing. Milk agrees with some men, but is just as well let 
alone by the majority when in training. Iced tea is not a 
good thing, although it is much fancied. Mild hot tea is to 
be preferred to this, but it is better to bar both tea and cof- 
fee. Ale to men " going fine '^ is quite right, but only once 
a week to those who are in condition, and then only after a 
hard day. To return then to water. Oatmeal water is the 
common form for service at our football training-tables, and 
it is the best regular beverage. Bearing upon this point of 
drinks, and showing the advisability of moderation, is the 
case of a centre rusher in one of our crack 'Varsity teams, 
whose weight was altogether too great, and who was, there- 
fore, put through a rather severe course to reduce his avoir- 
dupois. He weighed close to two hundred and forty pounds, 
and only a little of it would come off, in spite of his daily 
work on the field, followed by long runs and evening work 
in the gymnasium. Those who had the case in charge 
would put him on the scales in the evening after his day's 
work was done, and show a reduction of perhaps six or seven 
pounds. But by noon of the following day he would have 
made up the waste and tip the old amount. Many were the 
sighs heaved over this incorrigible mountain, until at last 
one of the suspicious coaches arranged to have the man 
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806 FOOTBALL 

covered that, nightly, before retiring, the youth had a huge 
pitcher of milk brought up to his room, from which he 
appeased that thirst which the banting process made severe. 

Novel Ideas and Emergency Suggestions. In this 
chapter on training it is well to speak of certain novel ideas 
that have not yet received sufficient test in a practical way 
to be set down as reliable, but which are well worth further 
trial, especially in cases where the ordinary methods fail. 

Reduction of Flesh. First is that regarding the reduc- 
tion of superfluous flesh in obstinate cases. The following 
system has had a fair amount of trial, and has not appar- 
ently resulted in anything that could be called objectionable, 
although in this, as well as in other experiments, it is well 
to 'submit the treatment and patient to the physician, and 
watch the experiment with care. The method consists in a 
strict diet of lean meat and hot water. Only moderate exer- 
cise should be indulged in during the first week. After that 
the exercise may be, and should be, up to its regular limits. 
The hot water is to be taken four times a day, one hour 
before each meal, and a half hour before retiring, and the 
quantity should be two ordinary glasses at a time. This 
makes eight glasses a day. The man will, almost from the 
outset, exhibit a good appetite, and he can be allowed to eat 
as much of the meat as he cares for. Beef and mutton only 
should be given. The treatment need not be as severe as 
the above in ordinary cases, but the man should be allowed 
a few vegetables — not potatoes — and toast. He should, 
however, be kept upon a two thirds meat diet. 

Increase in Nitrogenous Ratio. A good authority on 
food stuffs, after following the diet of a team for two years, 
and making some experiments, is strongly of the opinion 
that, as a rule, it is advisable to give the men more sugar 
than is usually believed in during the week or so before a 
game. The usual experience in this line has been against 
much sweet, but it is probable that a slight increase of the 
sugar allowed would not prove harmful in the case of those 
who craved it, and whose stomachs were not upset by it. 
Of course, this does not mean to displace the ordinary food 
with candy or sweets, but merely the addition of ice cream, 
sweet desserts of plain character, such as prunes, etc. 




i 9 « 

■3 O 



308 FOOTBALL 

To Steady a Nervous Team. Another theory that has 
met with some success in practice is that of putting the 
men to bed after an early luncheon on the day of a big 
match. This experiment tried upon a team that had always 
been nervous and unsteady in the first five minutes had a 
markedly favorable effect. The men were put in separate 
rooms, — darkened as far as possible, — and given over 
half an hour between the sheets. The majority said they 
actually went to sleep, although it was hardly suj)posed that 
they would. 

Over-Training. This chapter would be incomplete with- 
out a thorough consideration of that bugbear of all coaches, 
— over-training. At the outset it is well to state that there 
is no fancy that can creep into the head of a player that will 
do more to mar his performance than that he is over- 
trained, or "too fine," or going "stale." When a man 
acquires such a notion, it is often mere imagination, but 
if it becomes a fixed idea he is as badly off as though it 
were real. Coaches and captains should, therefore, be par- 
ticularly careful not to set up the notion by directing their 
inquiries of the man with such form as to let him suspect 
that he is in danger. 

The theory of over-training is that a man does not repair 
the waste. 

More Mental than Physical. Now, as strength depends 
upon newness of muscle, that is, the constant waste and 
repair, it is the exception that a good healthy subject of the 
age of most of our football players becomes over-trained in 
the sense of physically over-worked. The chances are 
usually that some other factor enters into the equation. 
But if a man be set at a task until he loathes it, or until he 
dreads the time of its return, then we bring in mental 
worry, and with it speedily over-training. This suggests 
the best way to avoid the occurrence of such a condition, as 
well as indicating the remedy. A player should be given 
something new to think of every few days, not crammed all 
in a day with all the possibilities of his position, and then 
found fault with for neglecting half of them. He should be 
carried along by gradual steps, and should see some new 



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310 FOOTBALL 

opportunity often enough to encourage liim. Then, when 
he begins to show indication of having too much on his 
mind, send him over to coach the freshmen, or anything else 
that will amuse and distract him. Just as an instance of 
what an injudicious coach will do : There was at one of our 
large universities a coach who had a substitute quarter play- 
ing occasionally upon the 'Varsity, but more frequently on 
the scrub, or second eleven side. The sides had separate 
signals. It occurred to this coach, late in the season, to 
give each team an entirely new set of signals in addition to 
the set it already possessed. The substitute quarter was 
given both new sets, — he already had mastered the first 
two. .Three days later, in the first ten minutes of a match, 
the regular quarter was laid up, and the substitute quarter 
went in. He was told which of the four sets the team was 
using, and for a few minutes did well. Then suddenly he 
stopped, rushed over to the captain, and said, "I can't 
remember a single signal ; I 'm no use," and it was two 
weeks before the boy was really himself again. This was 
simply a case of mental worry. A conscientious man will 
go fine much more easily than the stolid, indifferent player, 
for the former takes all fault-finding to heart, and treasures 
it up until he becomes discouraged, and fairly on edge with 
nervousness. A coach should bear this in mind, and when 
he wants to make an example he will be wise if he select 
one of the stolid kind who can stand it, and not use the 
whip too freely in public upon some high-strung chap, who 
frets under even a light rein. 

ilow to Diagnose. The first indication of over-training 
usually appears in a dullness in the eye and manner, while 
the nerves are still very sensitive. Then there is a loss of 
appetite and inability to sleep or even to rest, and the man 
begins to go off rapidly in his play. A loss of weight is 
usually a very early symptom, too, and for this reason the 
men should be put on the scales twice a week regularly, 
and suspicious cases oftener. As soon as the case is diag- 
nosed as even doubtful, the man should be given a rest and 
freedom from care and worry, just as indicated later in 
this chapter for sleeplessness. A day or two may set him 



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312 FOOTBALL 

straight, and if so, the coach is fortunate. If not, then his 
place should be at once filled for a week, if the time of the 
season admits. If it be on the eve of an important game, 
compromise measures are, of course, necessary. If the man 
must play, he may have his appetite pampered, — may have 
a little champagne with his meals, and be given as little to 
do as is consistent with the absolute needs of the team. 
When he is not in uniform, get him away from the men and 
give him all the outside entertainment possible. Send him 
to the theatre, or anywhere else that will divert him. 

The Agent of Repair. Sleep, the agent of repair, is 
one of the most important needs of the football player. 
And attention to the proper securing of undisturbed rest 
is one of the most serious problems that sometimes, late in 
the season, faces the coach. During the early weeks of 
training sleep comes naturally and easily to the player, and 
usually throughout the season to the majority, with, per- 
haps, the exception of the night before the big game. But 
there are occasionally cases of over-work, or more properly 
over-worry ; for the captain and some important player like 
the quarter-back have too much on tlieir minds in the way 
of responsibility to be free from trouble of this nature. It 
is a fair criticism against the game that so much should 
devolve upon the captain or quarter, but the strain is tempo- 
rary and is surely a strong developer of character. But the 
coach must consider, not the question of sparing the man 
the worry, but of keeping him in as good physical con- 
dition as possible under it. As to the team in general, the 
law must be laid down Avith decision that during the period 
of training the men must keep regular hours. Some 
believe in nine hours sleep at least, but eight hours will 
answer if it be always secured. From ten o'clock to seven 
o'clock are good limits, and no football man should be seen 
out of his room after ten. The night before a game the 
team can be allowed to stay up a little longer, to insure their 
speedy sleep. 

Care of the Over-Trained. Now for the men who are 
over-trained or over-worried. It is not always easy to know 
whether a man is getting his proper sleep. Many a captain 



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314 FOOTBALL 

and conscientious player has answered up cheerily as to his 
sleep, rather than to allow any one to suppose that he is not 
all right. This spirit is a good one, but the player should 
remember that if the coach can help him, he ought to con- 
fess to him privately all his troubles. It is not difficult for 
the coach to secure such an understanding in confidence with 
his men. There is no necessity that the whole team shall 
know if a man is not sleeping well, but there is a great 
necessity of the coach's knowing it and acting upon that 
knowledge. As to the remedy or rather remedies. In the 
first place, drugs, although they have been resorted to by 
some teams under urgent necessity, are never to be counte- 
nanced until the man is in such a condition that he passes 
from the hands of the coach into those of the physician. 
Hence drugs will have no part in this chapter. The first 
thing to be attempted is the removal of the cause for worry. 
If this be impossible, it can almost always be greatly lessened 
by judicious moves. If it be the case of the captain, an 
especial effort should be made in a private conference be- 
tween him and the coaches, to show him that his fears are 
groundless. The truth of the matter is that by the time 
this trouble of sleeplessness comes upon a captain, the season 
is usually so near its end that the coaches are justified in 
assuming the entire burden of responsibility, and so encour- 
aging the captain, even at a slight stretching of their con- 
sciences, in the expression of belief in the team's probable 
success. Having done everything possible so far as the men- 
tal condition of the man is concerned, it is well to try one or 
two simple methods of inducing sleep. Beer or ale before 
retiring, in the case of a man who has been accustomed to 
it when out of training, will often bring about the desired 
result. Another very efficacious plan is to have the man eat 
nothing but meat at his evening meal, and then half an hour 
before bedtime drink a glass of hot water. Light work in 
the afternoon and an evening walk of half an hour or so will 
sometimes serve when everything else fails. Above all, no 
evening football talk or football reading, but some entertain- 
ing book or conversation with people not interested in foot- 
ball. 



TRAINING 



315 



Cleanliness. Cleanliness comes next for our considera- 
tion. It may seem a strange term to apply to the condition 
of men who literally wallow in the mud upon occasion, but 
ifc is, nevertheless, thoroughly applicable, for the man in 
training should especially keep his skin in good condition. 
Too much tubbing is a mistake, but with a good sponge bath 
and a single tub, the football man can daily be as pink and 
glowing as possible. There is no need to dwell upon meth- 
ods. All sorts of showers are common nowadays, and with 
the sole caution not to overdo the pleasure, we can leave this 
agent of health, and the final consideration of the subject. 



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TRAINING 



317 



TABLE SHOWING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF CERTAIN 
ARTICLES OF FOOD. 



Article of Food. 



Meat. 

Beef 

Beefsteak .... 

Beef, lean 

Beef, with mustard and veg 

tables .... 
Beef and vegetables 
Beef, hard salt 
Lamb 



Mutton 
Mutton . 
Mutton 
Veal 
Veal . 
Pig, sucking 
Pork, steak 
Pork, salted 
Pork, salted 
Pork, salted 
Venison 
Tripe 
Liver . 
Gelatine 
Heart 



Poultry. 
Turkey . 
Turkey- 
Goose 
Chicken . 
Fowls 
Fowls , . 
Ducks 
Ducks, wild 

Fish. 
Trout 
Trout . 
Cod 
Oysters 
Oysters . 
Oysters 
Flounders 
Salmon, salted 



Eggs, etc. 
Eggs 
Eggs . 
Eggs 
Eggs . 
Milk 
Milk . 
Butter 
Cheese 



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Sours, ETC. 
Barley broth . 
Hash (meat and vegetables) 
Soup (chicken) 
Soup (mutton) 
Soup (beef) . . . , 



Mode of Preparation. 



Boiled. 

Broiled. 

Roasted. 

Boiled. 

Fried. 

Boiled. 

Broiled. 

Boiled. 

Broiled. 

Roasted. 

Broiled. 

Fried. 

Roasted. 

Broiled. 

Broiled. 

Boiled. 

Fried. 

Broiled. 

Boiled. 

Broiled. 

Boiled. 

Fried. 



Boiled. 

Roasted. 

Roasted. 

Fricasseed. 

Broiled. 

Roasted. 

Roasted. 

Roasted. 



Boiled. 
Fried. 
Boiled. 
Raw. 

Roasted. 
Stewed. 
Fried. 
Boiled. 



Raw. 
Roasted. 
Soft boiled. 
Hard boiled. 
Raw. 
Boiled. 
Melted. 
Raw. 



Warmed. 
Boiled. 
Boiled. 
Boiled. 



Time of Digestion. 



Hours. 


Minutes. 


2 


45 


3 





3 


30 


3 


30 


4 





4 


15 


2 


30 


3 





3 





3 


15 


4 





4 


30 


2 


30 


3 


15 


3 


15 


4 


30 


5 


15 


1 


35 


1 





2 





2 


30 


4 





2 


25 


2 


30 


2 


30 


2 


45 


4 





4 





4 





4 


30 


1 


30 


1 


30 


2 





2 


55 


3 


15 


3 


30 


3 


30 


4 


q 


2 





2 


15 


3 





3 


30 


2 


15 


2 





3 


30 


3 


30 


1 


30 


2 


30 


3 





3 





3 






318 



FOOTBALL 



TABLE SHOWING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF CERTAIN 
ARTICLES OF FOOB. — Continued. 



Article of Food. 


Mode of Preparation. 


Time of 


Digestion. 


Farinaceous Substances. 
Bread (wheaten) . 

Beans 

Rice 

Sago 

Tapioca 


Baked. 
Boiled. 
Boiled. 
Boiled. 
Boiled. 


Hours. 
3 
2 

1 
1 
2 


Minutes. 
30 
30 


45 




Vegetables. 

Potatoes 

Potatoes .... 

Potatoes 

Parsnips .... 

Carrots 

Turnips .... 
Cabbage 


Roasted. 

Baked. 

Boiled. 

Boiled. 

Boiled. 

Boiled. 

Boiled. 


2 
2 
3 
2 
3 
3 
4 


30 
30 
30 
30 
15 
30 
30 


Fruits. 
Apples (sweet) 
Apples (sour) .... 


Raw. 
Raw. 


2 
2 







CHAPTER XI 

SUGGESTIONS OF POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS : HOW AND 
WHERE THEY MAY BE EMPLOYED 

The Plan Explained. It is not intended in this chapter 
to give a complete scheme for the employment of different 
fakes, nor is it intended to furnish diagrams of plays. The 
object of the chapter is, as its name implies, merely to give 
suggestions to the coach of the various lines along which he 
can successfully conduct strategic operations. The ingenuity 
of the coach, and his knowledge of the capacities of his team, 
will enable him to select the right suggestion and clothe it 
with the proper movement. 

As to the Value of Different Ideas. It must not be 
understood that these suggestions are offered as novel move- 
ments, or that they are especially commended. Many of 
them are of doubtful value, and some of them might easily 
be conducted in such a manner as to jeopard the safety 
of the ball. They should only be regarded as possibilities 
which may, in some cases and in certain directions, be 
found to be peculiarly adapted to the abilities of the team. 

The doubtful value of many of these suggestions makes it 
unnecessary to caution the coach against using too many 
fakes and bluffs in the work of his team. If one or two of 
them are employed, it is usually all that the team will need, 
or that it would be wise to give them. Their value lies not 
alone in themselves, but in the train of thought which they 
stimulate. Ideas in football are always at a premium, and 
some new ideas may come to the coach from a hasty perusal 
of the following suggestions : — 

A Line Man Brought Back. (1) Calling a line man 
hack, with the apparent intention^ of heading an interference, 
and letting the play eventuate in a totally different manner. 



320 FOOTBALL 

For example, if a guard was called back to head a heavy 
interference around either end of the line, the positions 
being taken exactly as if the play was to move around the 
farther end from the side from which the guard was with- 
drawn, it might then be a wise plan to start the play in that 
direction, and have it eventuate in a double pass, and a 
sharp dive through some part of the line. 

An Accidental Start. (2) Make an a;pimrently acci- 
dental start of the entire interference before the ball is 
snap2^edj and have a reprimand from the quarter ; then^ 
without any change of signal, let the ball come bach, and a 
totally different play eventuate. 

The value of such a bluff lies in the readiness of the aver- 
age player to follow his instinct as against his coaching. 
The fact that the play has already started toward a certain 
point in the line, and that the quarter-back has reprimanded 
the players and moved them back to their original positions, 
without any change of signal, leaves the inference reason- 
ably sure that the same movement is to take place as soon 
as the ball is snapped. This interference might be strength- 
ened by the quarter-back, immediately after his reprimand 
(which need consist of nothing more than " Steady, fellows, 
don't give the play away ! "), calling out to the team, 
" Same signal." This might emphasize the inference in 
the minds of the opponents, and more effectually lead them 

astray. 

An excellent play to embody this suggestion would be a 
double pass, or any play with a bluff movement, or demon- 
stration toward a part of the line where the runner does not 
go. In that case the demonstration would be all the more 
deceptive, in view of the accidental start-off. 

The Quarter-Back Changed. (3) Have some man 
change tvith quarter-back for a single play, and let it appear 
that quarter is to do some special thing. 

For example, if near enough to the opponents' goal to 
make a drop-kick possible, let the quarter-back go up the 
field on the first down, as if to make the trial. Let the for- 
mation be for the protection of a drop-kick, but let the ball 
be passed quickly to a half-back on the side for a quick dive 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 321 

through the line. The sending of the quarter-back up the 
field might be a useful adjunct to a good " fake kick " 
which had worked well two or three times, but which was 
now being stopped by the opponents becoming familiar with 
the movement. 

Quick Scrimraage Kick. (4) Study the possibilities of 
an unexpected scrimmage kick. 

There are various ways in which this might be employed. 
The centre rush, on some word signal from the quarter- 
back, might rise from his stooping position, as if disgusted 
at something, and kick the ball between his opponent's legs, 
or on either side of his opponent where a favorable opening 
may occur. The ball must go ten yards unless stopped by 
an opponent. The entire team would then be on-side, and 
should make an instant rush for the ball. Such a play 
should only be tried, of course, when the attendant risk of 
the loss of the ball may be wisely entertained. 

Another method would be to practise an easy short snap 
back toward the quarter, which would not move the ball 
more than a foot ; the quarter, being ready upon the instant, 
could then kick the ball directly against the leg or body of 
an opponent. Properly, the ball would then belong to any 
one of the twenty-two men who first dropped upon it. In 
other words, it would have been put in play according to 
the rules, having touched a third man, as provided in Eule 
21. The opponents would have lost their prior claim to 
drop on the ball by virtue of its having already touched one 
of their number. A play of this nature might easily be 
worked up so as to be tolerably effective on a third down, 
when the distance to gain was difficult, or when the regular 
punts had, in two or three instances, been blocked by oppo- 
nents. Care should be taken in the event of the first or 
second method of putting the ball in play, to caution the 
centre rush not to fall on the ball in a scrimmage, as he is 
prevented from touching it until it has touched some other 
player of his side. 

Ball Put in Play by a Guard. (5) Have the hall put 
down unexpectedly hy the guard, luho puts it in play without 
signal on a quick line-up. 



322 FOOTBALL 

If the opponents are caught napping in this, you may be 
able to put the ball in play one point nearer the end of the 
line, and so bring off a round-the-end play without having to 
travel so far to circle the line. If the opponents move over, 
the play should then be quickly sent to the long side of the 
line, where you will have one extra man at your disposal to 
pocket the end or tackle. 

An Unexpected Punt. (6) Study the possibilities of an 
unexpected hick from an ordinary running line-up, the player 
kicking the hall immediately behind the line with a sideways 
kick, and at least one man going down the field on-side. 

A very effective way of making this kick is to have it 
ordered from the side of the field, and the punt directed on 
an oblique toward the other side. The on-side runner can 
then be well started across the field before the punt is 
delivered, and the moment he sees the punt made he can 
start immediately forward toward the point where the ball 
is to drop. The value of these unexpected kicks is not alone 
in themselves, but in the added value which they often give 
to the rushing game by reason of the uncertainty of the 
opponents as to whether the play is to be a run or a kick. 

Second Pass and Kick. (7) Try a second pass, with 
the last receiver kicking the ball well over to the side of the 
field five or ten yards ahead of the line of scrimmage y the 
eMire team to follow the ball quickly, and the kicker to put 
his team on-side. 

The probabilities in this manoeuvre would be that the 
unexpectedness of the second pass, followed by the unusual 
feature of a kick, would so far disconcert the opponents 
that the kicker would be enabled to go straight down the 
field on the opposite side from which the ball was kicked, 
and with such a slight advance of the ball as five or ten 
yards he would be able to put his team on-side. The play 
could only properly be attempted on the side of the field 
(say ten yards from the side lines), and the kicker should 
then go down the short side of the field, while the rest of 
the team move as rapidly as possible toward the point where 
the ball will drop. 

Making Exchanges when on the Offensive. (8) 
Remember that exchanges on the offensive are always wise. 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 323 

For example, if by sending your full-back ten or twelve 
yards up the field for a kick, you can compel your opponents 
to send an extra back up the field to receive the expected 
kick, the advantage is clearly with you in any subsequent 
running play. The idea may be more clearly grasped by 
assuming that the teams are composed of only one man each, 
and that your one man who has the ball is trying to carry it 
down to the goal posts. It Avould be a comparatively easy 
matter for him to dodge his opponent. Now, by enlarging 
the teams to two men, it might still be easy, although the 
danger that the second man may fail in blocking his oppo- 
nent increases the difiiculty of the runner passing the line 
of two men. This same difficulty is increased by the addi- 
tion of every extra man to the team. Hence the rule is that 
as every man who fails to block his opponent jeopardizes the 
play, it follows that the greater number of men in the game 
on each side, the greater the difiiculty of advancing the ball 
by running. Hence when you have the ball, you can always 
afford to make exchanges, or " pair men off,'^ if they keep 
each other out of the play. 

Furthermore, by sending your kicker ten or twelve yards 
up the field (on a pretense of kicking), it is often possible to 
bring him into the play at some later point in its develop- 
ment, where he can do effective service. The opposing back, 
however, who was sent up the field to receive the punt, is too 
far removed from the point of action to be of any service 
until the runner has made a substantial gain. 

Diagonal Blocking. (9) Diagonal blocking is the most 
effective of all methods for making an opening in the line. 

Hence make your assignments in every play, not on the 
basis of the man taking the opponent whom he can first 
reach in the line, but rather the opponent whom he can 
strike on the most obtuse angle from a line at right angles 
with the rush-line. 

Shifting Positions. (10) Wherever you can find a man 
who can play two positions, see luhether it is not possible to em- 
phasize some bluff by shifting him especially for this play. 

In other words, if the runner were to go through the right 
side of the line, but the demonstration were to be made toward 



324 FOOTBALL 

the left side of the line, it might be possible to shift some 
player from the right to the left side of the line, under pre- 
tense of making the left side a trifle stronger, and this slight 
movement would make the opponents more ready to start to 
the defense of that side of the line when the bluff demonstra- 
tion was made. 

As to Unexpected Kicks. (11) Remember that unex- 
jpected kicks should not he ordered ivhen an extra hack has heen 
sent up the field. 

One point of advantage about an unexpected kick is that 
it can be directed to a part of the field where there is no man 
located to receive it. It is a well-attested fact that a full- 
back who cannot get under the ball before it touches the 
ground is in more or less danger of having the ball touch 
some part of his person, in which case he stands a good 
chance of losing it altogether, or of being jostled by the 
opposing players while the ball is bounding along the ground, 
during which time the opposing kicker may be coming down 
the field to put his team on-side. An unexpected kick should, 
therefore, never be played from a running line-up on the 
third down, when an extra back has been sent up the field. 
It may always be played on a second down ; or on a third 
down where the running line-up so far deceives the oppo- 
nents that the extra back is not sent away from the line. 

A Long First Pass on First Down. (12) When the 
hall is secured from opponents on a fourth doivn, near the side 
lines, let your full-hack advance slowly, as if douhtful ivhether 
the hall had heen regained or not ; on a quick line-up let the 
quarter make a long pass to the full-hack, who will he out toward 
the centre of the field and five yards hehind the quarter. 

A very good play can be drawn up on this suggestion. It 
would be wise to arrange some signal on the third down be- 
tween the quarter and full back, whereby there is a mutual 
understanding that the play is to be ordered immediately if 
opponents lose it upon the next down. There should then 
be a quick line-up, and the ball snapped before any one could 
have time to notice that the full-back was not in his place. 
The full-back, in the mean time, would be feigning unusual 
dullness, and advancing in a hesitating manner, as if uncer- 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 325 

tain as to whether his side had regained possession of the 
ball or not. The team being on the side of the field, the 
full-back would naturally be a little toward the centre, and 
in coming down to rejoin the team he might move down 
more directly toward the centre of the field, as if about to 
question one of the ofiicials. 

In the event of an extra back having been sent down the 
field, this extra back might be used as a principal interferer, 
or he might immediately rejoin the team as soon as it was 
seen that the opponents had trusted to gain their distance 
and had not resorted to a kick. 

Side Line Possibilities. (13) Study up the strategic 
possibilities of the side line. 

When the ball is near the side line is a possible time to 
play a long criss-cross, the runner going down the short side 
of the field, but the first movement being toward the long 
side. It is well to have a special play to use when advan- 
tageously near the side line, the ball criss-crossing toward 
the line. 

A Quarter-Back Kick. (14) Have a quarter-hack kick 
to side of field. 

There are situations during the game (as, for example, 
when inside opponents' thirty-five-yard line) when it is most 
desirable to retain possession of the ball on a third down, 
and when the distance to gain is too great to make it prudent 
to attempt to rush the ball. At such times, the line-up being 
for a running play, it is possible for the quarter-back, work- 
ing from a position near one side of the field, to kick toward 
the other side with an advance of ten yards, and the whole 
eleven, moving rapidly after the ball, will often be able to 
secure it from the opposing full-back. It must be remem- 
bered that the three backs behind the quarter are all on-side 
when he kicks, and if the tackle or end can come sharply 
round behind the quarter, as if to join an interference around 
the other end, he will be in just such a position as will make 
him on-side when the kick is made, while not retarding in 
any way his arrival at the other side of the field. The move- 
ment of the three backs should be across the field, without 
advancing forward until the kick has been delivered. A 



326 FOOTBALL 

sharp oblique may then be made toward the probable locality 
where the ball will descend. Care should be taken that the 
end or tackle should circle well out so as not to disconcert 
the kicker. Of course, in this play the quarter-back would 
endeavor immediately to put his team on-side. 

Fake Kick and Dive Play. (15) Work up a good fake 
kick with the runner going on a quick dive through the tackle- 
guard hole. 

This is always an easy play to devise and a very success- 
ful one to work against some teams. It is astonishing to 
note with what success fake kicks are often operated against 
even the strongest opponents. One such play should be in 
the category of every eleven. It should be thoroughly re- 
hearsed, and given a simple, plain signal, and one which does 
not seemingly indicate any unusual play. It would be much 
better if the signal could be the same as for a punt, with 
some slight disguise or accompanying hand or arm signal on 
the part of the quarter-back, which should indicate that it 
was not a punt in reality. 

Fake Kick and FuU-Back Run. (16) Send the fidl- 
hack up for a punt, and let him, instead of kicking, rush the 
hallf moving well out on a wide circle around the end of the 
line, and passing on either side of the opposing end, if he has 
drawn the end ivell out. 

This is always an easy play to work up, the only important 
point being the interference given to the runner. It might 
be a wise plan, if the run was to be attempted around the 
right end of your line, to draw your left tackle back to join 
the immediate body guard in front of the full-back, who are 
supposed to protect him from any man who has broken 
through the line. Your left end would then come in from 
his extreme position and stand where he could slightly body- 
check the opposing tackle before going down the field under 
the supposed kick. This arrangement would give your full- 
back a direct interference of at least three men, with the 
quarter-back as a possible fourth. 

Overhead Pass. (17) Work up an overhead pass : — the 
quarter pretending to pass to the half-hack, hut throwing the 
hall over his head to an end rush who has sneaked well out. 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 327 

It may be claimed for this play that when successful it 
is almost worth a touch-down ; when not successful it need 
not be attended with great risk or loss. The assignments 
should be so made that all protection may be afforded to the 
ball in the event of the end rush failing to catch it. 

A Pretended Fumble. (18) Let the full-hack make a 
pretended fumble of the ball. 

This is a -^ last resort " play, to be used near the end of a 
game when five points extra would not win the match, but 
six points would. The full-back goes up for a drop-kick, and 
on receiving the ball holds it just long enough to draw the 
opposing end and tackle on his left side well down upon him. 
The guards and other side of line are blocked, as usual. The 
end and tackle come straight down. Your own right end, 
starting sharply on the snap, circles behind the full-back and 
receives the ball from him by a short backward pass, just as 
the end and tackle have reached him. They will naturally 
be in front of him in order to reach his kicking side and 
block the path of the ball. The end on receiving the ball 
circles the other unguarded end. 

The Concealed Ball. (19) The trick of the concealed 
ball. 

This is a suggestion which offers some little field for the 
ingenuity of the strategist. It is a trick which has been 
worked very successfully on one or two occasions in the past. 
It was a favorite line of operations with a well-known Yale 
player less than a dozen years ago. By his ingenuity he 
had planned two or three successful mass movements where 
the opponents, unless exceptionally sharp-sighted, completely 
lose the direction of the ball, and the play, which was usually 
quite a slow one, was worked with deadly effect against even 
the strongest opponents. 

Pocketing an End. (20) In a formation for a close 
attack against tackle on one side of the line, let the pass he 
made unexpectedly to a runner ivho sivings out from his po- 
sition on the other side of the centre and circles behind the mass 
and around the end. 

The success of this play is wholly dependent upon draw- 
ing in the end by the repeated attacks at the tackle hole. 



328 FOOTBALL 

The formation may be of a nature which makes it quite diffi- 
cult for the end to readily see what is transpiring beyond the 
centre of the line ; the runner coming around, very sharply 
and receiving the ball almost at full speed, is under such 
headway that, unless the end has kept well out of the pre- 
tended attack, he will not be in a position to successfully 
tackle the rapidly moving runner. The possibilities of work 
along this line are unusually promising. 

Right- Angling an End. (21) Wo7^k up a series with a 
formation having your right end never less than jive yards 
outside his opponent. 

Several interesting plays may be made from this forma- 
tion. A round-the-end play may be attempted, in which you 
would be able to direct an attack upon the opposing end from 
exactly opj^osite directions at the same time. In other 
words, he would have to look out for the on-coming interfer- 
ence and the runner, and also keep track of the movement of 
his opponent, who is five yards outside of his position and 
moving towards him from the opposite direction. The best 
result would probabl}^ be effected if the outside end met his 
opponent just before the interference reached him. He could 
then disconcert him just at the decisive moment, when the 
end was preparing to smash the interference. 

Another Outlet. Another outlet in such a series would 
be a long pass to the right end rush, either by the quarter- 
back direct, or by the left half-back receiving the ball from 
the quarter and starting around behind the right side of his 
own line to make the long pass. In this case the full-back 
and right half-back would be assisting the right guard and 
tackle in blocking for the left half-back when he turned to 
make his pass. 

In the event of the opposing end rush following your right 
end out to the side of the field, this series of plays could not 
be worked, but you could then successfully effect other oper- 
ations, and the withdrawal of these two men, as you are 
acting on the offensive, would be to your, and not your oppo- 
nents' advantage. 

A Quarter-Turned Attack. (22) Try a line-up with 
all the men facing in a wrong direction, and with a sharp 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 329 

quarter turn to the right or left the instant the hall is put in 
play. 

This is of minor value, but there are a few movements in 
which it may be effectively employed with no risk. 

A Quarter-Back Run. (23) Let the quarter run with 
the hall. 

In a play of this sort the ball should be passed immedi- 
ately to one of the backs who is advancing toward one side 
of the line as he receives it. Immediately upon receiving it, 
he swings round upon one foot with his back to the line, using 
the foot which is nearest to the quarter-back, which thus 
enables him to face the quarter-back the entire time. The 
quarter-back has followed up his pass by advancing himself, 
and as the half-back turns, he takes the ball from him and 
tries to circle the end, keeping well out on a long turning. 

Another Way. There are two ways in which this play 
may be tried with perhaps equal success. The ball may be 
passed to the left half-back, and the other two backs may 
make a bluff attack upon the right side of the centre of the 
line, the left half-back moving almost forward, and with a 
very little movement toward the centre from his position. 
Another method is for all three of the backs to move rapidly 
toward the tackle-guard hole on the left side of the line ; the 
right half-back, being the last man, receives the ball, and 
turns in the sanie manner as described, passing to the quar- 
ter-back, who circles the left end of the line. 

Second Pass in a Moving Interference. (24) Work 
a double pass from one man to another in a heavy interference 
just hefore it reaches the end of the line. 

This is always a deceptive manoeuvre, unless the opposing 
end rush is exceedingly watchful. He has clearly seen the 
first pass and located the runner. He finds this runner is 
well inside of his interferers, and running behind them. 
Naturally the end rush is tempted to keep inside of the in- 
terference group, and seize the runner from the side. The 
runner should make the pass to the man on the farthest out- 
side edge of the group of interferers, and the pass can be 
made just before he is to be tackled by the end rush. The 
man who receives the pass, and who is moving at the full 



330 FOOTBALL 

speed of the interference, is then protected by the interfering 
group from the end rush, and if a wide circle of the field is 
made, and he is a good runner, the chances are that he will 
be able to pass the half-back, who is moving out rapidly to 
support the end. 

Two Operations in One. (25) Combine two styles of 
plai/ In one operation. 

Or, in other words, under cover of one familiar form of 
attack make another familiar form of attack. For example, 
if you have a strong interference around the end, which is 
headed by some heavy rusher who is drawn back from the 
line, let there be a criss-cross incorporated with this play, by 
which the back who is nearest to the end which is circled 
shall receive the ball from the runner, and with the interfer- 
ence still moving on around the end, let him make a quick 
dive directly through the line in front of him. This is one 
of the most successful methods of bringing off a criss-cross. 
It seems to combine in one play the advantages of the quick 
dive and the criss-cross proper, and although less brilliant 
than the long criss-cross, with the runner circling the opj^o- 
site end, it is more productive of gains in the long run, and 
may be repeated many times during a game. 

A Running Kick. (26) Practise running kicking and 
study its p)ossibilities. 

There is really a great opportunity in this direction, and a 
mine of unused wealth awaits the enterprising coach who 
will develop running kicking to its fullest extent. There 
are a great many times when a runner has passed the critical 
point in the line, and is sufficiently free to enable him to 
kick the ball. At such times it may be questioned whether 
it would not be an excellent policy to do this, and endeavor 
either himself to regain it, or to put his team on-side. A 
good opportunity for such a play would be where an end 
rush had been circled on a very long movement out toward the 
side of the field, and an opposing line back was rapidly mov- 
ing across the field with every possibilty of intercepting the 
runner when he turned in circling. It might be easily pos- 
sible at such a time for the runner to make a running kick 
over the head of the half-back and also of the full-back, who 



POSSIBLE FAKES AND BLUFFS 331 

would probably have advanced to a point very close to the 
runner's position. The runner^ with his interference, might 
then, keeping straight on, have an excellent opportunity of 
regaining the ball. 

Deceptive Line-Up Attitudes. (27) Encourage the 
players to certain deceptive false rnotions, calculated to deceive 
the opponents as to the direction of the play, or as to the mo- 
ment when the ball is to he snapped. 

The effect of this will often be to slow up or rattle the 
opponents. Very much may be accomplished by taking 
advantage of an opponent's weakness and inducing him to 
start before the ball is put in play. It is easily possible for 
clever players to cultivate such deceptive movements as shall 
greatly mislead the opponents at critical times. 

A Fake Kick Criss-Cross. (28) Woi^k up a fake kick 
criss-cross. 

This is a comparatively unused and very promising style 
of play. It will be necessary to work the fake kick two or 
three times before trying the fake kick criss-cross. Make 
the interference as heavy as possible for the second runner, 
and let this interference go to its work at the very beginning 
of the movement. There need be no special demonstration 
to help the first runner. 



CHAPTER XII 

WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 

Future of the Sport in Hands of the Officials. The 

very existence of a sport like football is dependeiit upon 
satisfactory rulings by officials. The future of the game is 
really almost as much in their hands as in the hands of the 
legislators and the players. It requires a man of the high- 
est character, having a special knowledge of the game, to 
make a satisfactory referee or umpire. In fact, the way in 
which an important match is conducted, and the effect upon 
both players and spectators, depends upon a judicious selec- 
tion of these two arbiters. The linesman is, of course, an 
important man, but has far less of the game in his hands 
than the other two. 

Learn the Rules. A referee or umpire should thoroughly 
learn the rules. He must not only be familiar with the 
wording, but he should also be posted upon the derivation of 
the rules and (in a measure) their history, in order that his 
interpretation of them may be based upon a correct know- 
ledge of the reasons why the rules were made. He should 
also be familiar with the location of the rules in the book, 
as often in a game a captain may demand a reference to the 
rule, and an official who can turn at once to any rule without 
hesitation has made a long step towards securing the confi- 
dence and respect of the players whose game he is conduct- 
ing. 

Learn the History of the Rules. An official should 
acquire his knowledge not alone from the rule-book and the 
watching of games, but he should also read up the history 
of the sport and make himself master of that history. 
He should then practise with his knowledge, just as a player 
practises to acquire skill. An official should act in the daily 
play frequently, and from this learn the following points. 



WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 333 

Learn the Players' Interpretation. He should learn 
the players^ interpretation of rules, for the players' interpre- 
tation may differ from the interpretation of the legislator 
and of the official. It may be a hard thing to say, but it is 
nevertheless true, that players learn various ways of coming 
very close to an infringement of a rule without — in their 
minds, at least — actually breaking it. A referee or umpire 
who is not familiar with this feature will find himself wholly 
incompetent to pass judgment when, in an important match, 
he is called upon to follow the play closely. 

He should find out, also, what the natural action of the 
player is. That is, what he will do under certain set condi- 
tions. He will learn, also, what fouls are most apt to occur, 
and the points at which these take place. 

The Referee. The duties of the referee are compara- 
tively simple. Not but that he has enough to attend to (the 
additional duty of watching the play in the centre, looking 
out for runs by the quarter, or forward passes, having added 
somewhat to his work), but, as a rule, all the decisions that 
he has to make are questions of fact regarding the position 
or the progress of the ball itself, while the duties of the 
umpire involve a much more difficult element because there 
is but one ball, and there are twenty-two players, and the 
umpire has the duty of judging the actions of these twenty- 
two players. 

Cannot Deliberate when on the Field. The umpire or 
referee who is not thoroughly familiar with all the construc- 
tions that may be placed upon the rules is not competent to 
decide clearly upon the merits of the case on the field. No 
matter what his interpretation of the rule may be originally, 
he should have had all the various constructions brought 
before him, and should not be obliged to deliberate when on 
the field. 

Position to Occupy when Watching the Play. The 
referee can stand in almost any position and satisfactorily 
follow the ball. But he should make it a point to give the 
umpire the preference, that is, to allow the umpire to stand 
where he can best see the ball, while he (the referee) takes 
up a position which will assist the umpire to thoroughly 



334 FOOTBALL 

cover the field. The best umpires find it advantageous to 
stand facing the side which has the ball, and approximately 
in front of the man putting the ball in play. From this posi- 
tion the umpire can see the work in the centre in the way of 
holding, and can also move quickly out to the point where 
the line is assailed, and be in a fair position to judge of the 
effect as well as the making of any fouls which occur in the 
line of the progress of the ball. 

Pay no Attention to Remarks and never try to Even 
Up. An umpire should thoroughly disassociate himself 
from any consideration of the two sides so far as personal 
feeling goes. He should never, under any circumstances, 
allow himself to be affected by what the players or the spec- 
tators say, and he should, under no circumstances, endeavor 
to even up any decisions. He should have but one thought, 
and that the strict fulfillment of his duty, no matter which 
side it affects. 

Don't be too Technical. But no umpire should enter 
a game or should conduct a game, under the impression that 
every technical violation of rule should be penalized. As 
one of the best umpires in this country has said, there is 
probabty never a play made on the field without some viola- 
tion of a rule which could be discovered by a too particular 
official. A man's foot may be a half inch off-side. The 
centre rush is very apt to have his head over the ball. A 
thousand and one things which make no difference whatever 
in the result and are wholly without intent to defraud or 
take advantage, may occur ; they would allow ample oppor- 
tunities for calling fouls to an umpire whose business was 
not to conduct the game, but to find fault. Hypercritical 
officials do more harm than good. 

Despise and Disgrace the Foul Players. But the 
man who has the interest of the game at heart, who wants 
to see fair play, who hates the foul player as he hates 
poison, and who goes even farther than the rule provides if 
it is necessary for the prevention of unfair tactics, is the 
kind of man to bring the game up, and the man who will see 
that both sides get justice. Such men are hard to find, but 
everything should be done to encourage them to act. The 



WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 335 

effect of such, men upon the education of players in this 
country cannot be too highly estimated. 

Difficulties, The most difficult duty of the referee is 
undoubtedly to discover who has the ball when in a fumble 
a number of men drop on it and the pile is so dense that he 
cannot see the man in possession. The wise act for him in 
this emergency is to take away the men one by one, begin- 
ning with those whom he can see have no hands on the ball. 
In this way he will bring it down to two or three, and it is 
not then difficult to tell from the position of the arms of 
these men, after he has reached the bottom of the heap, to 
which man the ball belongs. 

It is also the duty of the referee to tell whether the kick 
is a punt or a drop-kick when a try-at-goal is tried and is 
successful. Some kickers in attempting a drop-kick catch 
the ball with the toe before it hits the ground, and this must 
be closely watched by the referee. 

Both the referee and umpire must not only cultivate, but 
actually acquire, a total indifference to remarks made while 
they are on the field. Among the present day teams it is 
seldom that much is said in comment upon decisions. The 
practice of trying to bulldoze the umpire and referee has 
largely gone by. But there are persons in the crowd, and 
sometimes, we regret to say, on the teams, who, in the heat 
of excitement, express too forcibly their difference of 
opinion from that of the umpire or referee. The official 
should take no note of this, and remember that in times 
gone by, when he was a player, he had something of the 
same feelings, and possibly at times he expressed them. 

Never Leave the Game without a Decision. But 
above all things, no matter what the provocation, an official 
should never leave a game until it is finished or forfeited. 
If there is a dispute over one of his decisions, he has not 
the right to throw up the place, but before he leaves the 
field he must decide the game, so that there can be no 
further claims of any kind save in the case of an Associa- 
tion game, where, by the constitution, an appeal is permitted 
regarding the interpretation of the rule. 

There is nevSr any appeal, however, from a decision of 



336 FOOTBALL 

the referee upon a question of fact, and this should be 
thoroughly borne in mind by both officials and players. 

Ground Rules. It is the duty of the officials to call the 
two captains together as long a time as possible before the 
game, and bring up the question of ground rules. It often 
happens that neither of the captains has reflected upon this 
matter, and the official has to make suggestions. This he 
should be fully competent to do, for he should have gone 
out on the field and looked it over, and know the necessity 
for each ground rule which may be proposed. 

Proximity of Fence or Grand Stand. For instance, 
a grand stand or fence may be so near the goal line as to 
make a kick-out from behind the goal impossible. In that 
case a ground rule should be agreed upon making it per- 
fectly fair for both sides, but insuring that the play will be 
carried on as it would be in an open field. The easiest way 
to adjust this is to determine a certain distance, say, for 
instance, five yards, and when the defending side secure the 
ball, or have the ball in their possession inside their own 
five-yard line, they are privileged to take the ball out to the 
ten-yard line and have it down there. 

Out of Bounds. Again, it may be that the sides of the 
field are so arranged that it is not easily possible or wholly 
safe for the players to follow the ball when it goes out of 
bounds. In that case a ground rule should be made giving 
the ball to the opponents of the side that made the kick 
when the ball goes beyond the boundary. There is some 
question as to whether a ground rule should be made in this 
case providing that the ball shall become the property of 
the opposing side when it is kicked out of bounds as soon as 
it crosses the side line, whether it go into the crowd or not. 
Usually a rule is made that the ball is the property of the 
man securing it (provided he is on-side), so long as it does 
not actually pass the fence, or the line of the crowd, or 
strike an outsider. It is better, however, and less open to 
dispute, if the rule gives the ball to opponents the instant it 
goes out of bounds from a kick. 

The referee must be sure to raise the question whether 
a blocked kick is to be governed by the same rules if the ball 



WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 337 

goes out of bounds before it is secured. It may be decided 
either way, but must be settled always in advance. 

Interpretations and Points Made by Captains. After 
all matters of ground rules have been gone over, the referee 
should bring up any questions likely to produce a misunder- 
standing in the rules, and should advise the two captains of 
his interpretation of these obscure points. He should also 
ask the captains to bring up to him any points that they 
wish to have discussed, and should notify them that on any 
questions not brought up at that meeting he will decide 
according to his own interpretation, without regard to any 
later discussions, that is, unless both captains are present at 
the later discussion, and it takes place before the players go 
on the field. 

The reason for this is that it is always an awkward thing 
for a referee to hold anything like confidential relations 
with either captain. All points should be brought up and 
discussed with both captains present, or else they must be 
satisfied with the interpretation of the referee when the 
actual play happens. 

Warning by the Umpire. When the referee has gone 
over his part of the work in this way, the umpire should dis- 
cuss all matters likely to fall under his province, and finally 
the umpire should give the captains definite and decided 
warning regarding anything like unfair play or brutality. 
It is the duty of the umpire to make this talk a sound one, 
that shall impress the captains with the fact that nothing in 
the nature of foul tactics will be for a minute countenanced 
by him ; and that he will go even beyond the letter of the 
rules to see that offenses of this nature are promptly pun- 
ished. 

When the players come upon the field, the referee and 
umpire should call the two captains together, and the ground 
rules should be stated as they have been agreed upon before 
the play is started. The umpire should take occasion once 
more to reiterate what he has said about unfair play, and 
should ask the captains if they thoroughly understand, and 
have made their teams thoroughly understand, his attitude. 

All this may seem like going to great lengths to eliminate 



338 FOOTBALL 

possible later discussions, but it is well worth while, and the 
game will be far more satisfactory not only to the players, 
but to the officials, if this line of policy is strictly carried 
out. 

Linesman. Marking Distances. The linesman acts 
under the referee, and marks the distance gained or lost. It 
is customary for him to have an assistant, and one of the 
easiest ways to keep track of the distance is to have two 
canes joined together with a five-yard cord, and, when a first 
down is made, set one cane opposite the down, and stretch 
the cord tight in a straight line by the side line, and the 
other cane will mark the distance which must be made in the 
three attempts. 

Bearing Testimony. All officials are obliged to do their 
best to see that all the rules are enforced, and whenever one 
official is asked to bear testimony in another official's prov- 
ince, he should be ready with a frank statement, and should 
not hesitate a moment to give his views. 

Extraordinary Occurrences. There are some extraor- 
dinary occurrences which have happened in sections of the 
country where football has only just begun to make for itself 
a sound foothold, and which perhaps ought to be noted. 
There is no danger of such things happening where the game 
is understood and appreciated, as the public feeling is too 
strong to tolerate such exhibitions for a moment. 

A case has arisen where a player has been disqualified by 
the umpire, and refused to leave the field. Fortunately, 
such an occurrence cannot happen on a team that has any 
appreciation for the sport, but an official who is likely to act 
in some of the remote parts of the country may have such a 
thing brought before him. There is but one thing for the 
umpire to do, and that is to give the captain of the offend- 
ing side, even if he be the disqualified player himself, a cer- 
tain limit of time for the player to leave the field, say three 
minutes, or less time if he prefers. If the player does not 
leave the field inside of that time, the umpire should advise 
the referee, and the referee should at once declare the game 
forfeited to the other side. 

There is nothing specifically stated in the rules to cover 



» 



WHEN ACTING AS AN OFFICIAL 339 

this point, and there are several other points which it would 
be superfluous to put into rules, which are made for gentle- 
men in the conduct of sport as gentlemen. All questions of 
this kind are covered by a point in the rules which makes 
the referee absolute in all cases not covered by the umpire, 
and the umpire is the judge of the couduct of the players. 
At such a time the referee must uphold the umpire strongly. 
In point of fact, the umpire would probably be upheld in 
himself declaring a game forfeited, but such a declaration is 
more in the province of the referee, and if he is a man of 
any character, he will see that every decision of the umpire 
is respected. 

Calling the Game on Account of Darkness. An- 
other point that may arise is the question of calling a game. 
A football game should not be called for any condition of the 
weather, but should be played, rain or shine. In the event, 
however, of a game having been started so late, or through 
accidents having been so prolonged as to make it impossible 
to finish it by daylight, it is the duty of the referee to call 
the game an unfinished game, unless some previous agree- 
ment has been entered into by the two captains. Every 
game, however, should be started so early as to make any 
chance of this event occurring impossible ; there can be no- 
thing more unsatisfactory than an unfinished match. For 
all this a referee ought not to let a game continue after it is 
so dark that he and the umpire cannot, by their inability to 
follow the operations on the field, be reasonably sure to make 
all their decisions correctly. 



CHAPTER XIII 

DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 

Explanation of the Diagrams. Before presenting the 
diagrams of the plays in this chapter, there must be a few 
words of explanation. 

The team executing the play is drawn in outline, and the 
opponents by shaded figures. To avoid multiplication of 
detail, one or two of the opponents are omitted in each dia- 
gram, their positions being so far removed from the seat of 
action that they could not reasonably be counted upon to 
take any part in the immediate checking of the play before 
the line is pierced. None of these plays are carried beyond 
the passage of the line. The primary object is to get the 
runner through the opponents' line free and clear, with one 
or more interferers, if possible, to help him down the field. 
Those opponents who are omitted from the diagram would 
be the ones who might check his progress after he had 
pierced the line and started down the field. 

The path of each player directly concerned in the inter- 
ference is indicated by a dotted line. Where there is no 
dotted line the player blocks in his position in the line. 
The pass of the ball from the quarter-back to the runner is 
indicated by a feathered line. The dark, arrow-like strokes 
at the end of a dotted line indicate the direction in which 
the player applies his blocking. 

Positions of the Players. The players in each case are 
lettered as follows : c, centre-rush ; r. g., right guard ; 1. g., 
left guard ; r. t., right tackle ; 1. t., left tackle ; r. e., right 
end ; 1. e., left end ; q., quarter-back ; r. h. b., right half- 
back ; 1. h. b., left half-back ; f. b. full-back. 

The positions in which they stand are indicated as clearly 
as possible upon the diagram, and it is intended that these 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 341 

diagrams shall be relatively accurate. A single distance, 
therefore, on one of these diagrams, should furnish a suffi- 
cient key to the position of each player, since the diagrams 
are supposed to be projected on one general scale, the scale 
being a quarter of an inch to one foot. 

In arranging the positions of the men acting upon the 
defensive, the attempt has been made to place them in as 
advantageous positions for checking the play as they would 
be likely to assume. If there arose any doubt or question, 
the side acting on the defensive has been given, the benefit 
of the doubt, and have then always been placed in the better 
position of the two for checking the play. It is believed 
that in no case has any diagram been arranged with an 
unduly unfavorable situation of the players on the defense. 

The two opponents usually omitted from the diagrams are 
the full-back and the rush-line half-back on the side farthest 
from the play. 

Reversing the Movement. It will be noticed that in 
nearly every case the same play can be executed upon the 
other side of the centre. The choice of sides is purely arbi- 
trary, and had better be decided according to the ability of 
the runner to execute the movement to best advantage. 
Some runners prefer to dodge upon the right foot, while 
others will prefer the left foot. The same element of 
choice or preference exists on many other points, and if it 
is desired to change the play from one side to the other, 
these minor points should be considered. 

Each Play Practical. No one of the plays presented in 
this chapter is purely theoretical. Each has been thoroughly 
tested against an experienced eleven. There is not one of 
them which cannot be advantageously worked if properly 
directed. If the play is found to work bunglingly, or with 
poor success, the reason should be sought and the fault cor- 
rected. It may exist in the slowness of some member of the 
interference, the failure of some player to do his complete 
work, or more probably a slight deviation in the path of 
some one of the players, by which he interferes with, or slows 
down, the successful execution of the movement. No play 
can be successful unless all of these minor details have close 
attention. 



342 FOOTBALL 

The coach, should never discard a play from his repertory 
until he is satisiied, not merely that it is not proving success- 
ful, but that it cannot be made to j)rove successful. In other 
words, he must know not merely that it is stopped, but the 
reason why it is stopped. It may often happen that that 
reason is a neglect of duty on the part of some one -player 
which may be easily corrected. Some man in the rush-line has 
not, .perhaps, been taught the art of long blocking, and his 
failure to obstruct his opponent a sufficient interval of time 
may be the root of the whole difficulty, and be easily reme- 
diable. A very good method of judging a play is to make 
use of some of the tests enumerated in the chapter on 
" Accessories of Coaching.'' 

Making the Dispositions. The assignments of the 
men to the work should be, in each case, the result of careful 
study, but changes may be tried if desired. No change, how- 
ever, should be attempted which will interfere with the quick 
line-up. In some cases a change might be made where an 
interferer, instead of preceding the runner, is directed to fol- 
low him. These are really questions of personal preference, 
to be determined by the captain or coach, who knows the 
peculiar ability of his players, and will recognize where such 
a change as this would be wise. 

In making the dispositions of players in different plays, 
it is always a mooted point whether an extra man can be of 
more service by going through the line ahead of the runner 
and " cleaning out the hole," as the expression is, or whether 
he is of more value as a pusher behind the runner, where the 
full force of his strength may be applied to force the runner 
past any point where he is temporarily obstructed. It is not 
possible to lay down any arbitrary rule on this matter, as it 
must depend, not alone upon the play, but upon the system 
of defense of the opponents, and often upon the peculiar 
ability of the runner or the assisting player. This is a point, 
however, which will constantly arise, and in each case it can, 
perhaps, best be settled by tr3dng both methods in practice. 

The Play on the Blackboard. In presenting one of 
these plays to a team, the best plan will be to assemble the 
players and have the movement carefully drawn out upon 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 343 

the blackboard, making suck sligkt changes in the disposi- 
tions or in the minor details as may be desired. The coach 
should then be prepared to answer any inquiries, and after 
every point has been cleared up, the players should go out 
upon the field, and taking their positions as provided in the 
diagram, walk through the play two or three times before 
attempting to execute it in the regular way. The players 
can thus familiarize themselves with the appearance of the 
movement, and get a better idea of the path over which each 
man travels. After walking through the play three or four 
times, let the pace be gradually quickened until the men 
execute the movement at a slow trot. From this the pace 
can be steadily quickened until the greatest possible speed is 
attained. 

It may be questioned why a play requires to be interpreted 
upon the blackboard, when it is already in the hands of each 
one of the players. There is a reason, however, for this, and 
it is a valid one. Team play, as we have previously stated, 
is only possible in its highest efficiency when the players 
study the principles involved in every movement, so that 
they understand their own relative importance in each play, 
and realize wherein the success of the play may be obstructed 
through their negligence. A blackboard explanation, accom- 
panied by questions and discussion, will give to many players 
a much clearer idea of the principle involved in the move- 
ment than they would have if this feature of the instruction 
was omitted. 

Special Instructions to the Leading Players. After 
the first day of practice of the play, the coach or captain 
being then fairly familiar with the movements of each man, 
a sheet of special instructions should be prepared for the 
important players. These instructions should emphasize the 
points which must be borne in mind, thereby saving the coach 
much repetition, beside expediting the time when the play 
shall be smoothly executed. 

In order to show more clearly the nature of these instruc- 
tions to the players, we present the draft of possible instruc- 
tions to the six players who take the most important parts 
in a single series of plays here offered. A similar set of 



344 FOOTBALL 

instructions may easily be prepared for any of the plays here 
shown, if the plays themselves are studied a little more 
closely by the captain or coach, and the various contingen- 
cies and critical points carefully noted. It is not necessary 
that such instructions should be prepared for each player, 
but only for the men who fill the most important positions 
in the movement. 



FORMATION OF SMALL WEDGES. 

(^ee Diagrams) 

Instructions to Right End. 

26. The rush-line half is the dangerous man. You should help 
the right tackle block his man, but one or the other of you (which- 
ever is free first) should go to the rush-line half. This is imper- 
ative. Arrange it between you. 

27. Your tackle goes through line instantly inside of his oppo- 
nent ; you remain and block his opponent or any one else who tries 
to come through on your side. 

28. Push behind runner. 

29. Look out for your opposing end ; keep him out of the play if 
he gets into it. It is not probable that he will get into it for the 
first two or three times, and you can at first afford to let him go, 
and take the rush-line back, if you can get him. Otherwise the 
quarter-back, if you can get him. 

30. Get into this play very cautiously, foxing your own end if you 
can, so as to get on the outside of him by some quick movement. 
Under no circumstances must you he drawn heyond Mm. Your work 
in the play is to block off the end, as the play is around this end. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Follow instructions given 
to left end for No. 30. 

32. Get down the field as quickly as possible under the kick. 

33. You are the runner. Follow the exact path shown on the 
diagram, which must be parallel to the path of the first runner, 
and in an exactly opposite direction. Then make your dodge and 
find your hole just inside of the tackle-guard hole, close to guard. 
You should receive the ball by a hand pass, not by a toss. If the 
play does not work well, it is probably because you are not going 
far enough back before receiving the ball. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 345 

Instructions to Right Tackle. 

26. The rush-line half is the dangerous man. You and the right 
end block your man. Whichever one of you finds himself least 
effective should instantly go on to the rush-line half. This is impera- 
tive. Help runner all you can after he is through the line. 

27. Go through instantly inside your man, and get across and 
help pull runner through hole. 

28. Do just the same as in 27, but block an instant. 

29. Block your man hard in the line. Your work in this play is 
more important than in any other. Quarter will help you with your 
man immediately after first pass ; make your man go outside of 
you. Special I^ote. If any opponent blocks in the line between 
tackle and guard, leave your own man and take this inside opponent 
and throw him in. Notify your right end that he must take your 
man. 

30. Block your man in the line, and throw him in (just the oppo- 
site of heretofore) ; a second later, if possible, block opposing rush- 
line back, getting him on the outside. Special Note. If an 
opponent blocks in the line between tackle and guard, leave your 
own man and take the inside opponent. In this case notify right 
end that he must take your man and throw him in. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Follow instructions given 
to left tackle in No. 30. 

32. Get down the field quickly under the kick. 

33. Block your man hard and long. Right half-back will block 
the hole on your left. Make your man go well outside of you. 

Instructions to Right Half-Back. 

26. You are wholly responsible for the hole in this play. If any 
opponent blocks in the line between tackle and guard, take him 
and throw him in. Otherwise quarter-back, if he is where you can 
get at him. Otherwise take guard, striking him hard and low, and 
keep on for quarter. 

27. Go across inside of quarter and take tackle, not the end. If 
tackle is out of the play take either end or rush-line back, as seems 
best in practice. 

28. You are the runner. The hole is farther out than you would 
naturally expect. Go through close to tackle. 

29. You receive the ball as in 28, but make the second pass and 
keep on exactly as in 28. Give the ball to runner in the pit of his 
stomach. 

30. You receive the ball in this play exactly as in Nos. 28 and 



346 FOOTBALL 

29, but instead of passing it to the full-back as in No. 29, you pass 
it to the left half-back, who will cross from his position and receive 
the ball from you on your left side. Full-back " fakes " the play 
and does exactly the same as in 29, but you do not pass to him. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Read the instructions 
given in No. 30 to the left half-back. 

32. Block hard in the line between tackle and guard. Special 
Note. In Nos. 26, 27, 32, and 33 you are solely responsible for any 
inside man between tackle and guard, and must keep him out of 
the play without regard to anything else. 

33. You are responsible for the tackle-guard hole. Be sure that 
no one comes through that hole and obstructs the second pass in 
this play. 

Instructions to Left End. 

26. Get over quickly and push behind runner. Once or twice 
try going straight through the line and go over to meet runner as 
he comes through hole and help pull him through. After careful 
practice of both methods, report to quarter-back which you think 
most effective, and do that one only. 

27. Help the tackle with his man. You must make a good hole ! 
The quarter and left half-back are both coming ahead of the run- 
ner to block off tackle and end. Therefore, after your first moment 
of blocking the tackle, you may find yourself free to go on to rush- 
line back or quarter-back. 

28. Help your tackle block his man. If possible throw tackle 
back into the rush-line back. If this is not possible, throw the 
tackle outward ; make no mistake on this last point. 

29. With the left half-back you cross inside of the quarter. Try 
and arrive just in time to push behind the second runner. 

30. Go across as in No. 29 (inside quarter), and with the quarter 
and right end block off the opposing left end. The play is around 
that end. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Follow instructions given 
to right end in No. 30. 

32. Get down the field under the kick. 

33. Do just the same as in 27. 

Instructions to Left Tackle. 

26. Block your man in the line, and then go through and help 
the runner as he emerges. 

27. Block your man and make him go outside of you. Left end 
helps you in this play. 

28. Block your man. Left half-back helps you. If possible try 



DIAGEAMS OF PLAYS 347 

and throw him back on to the rush-line back. If this is not pos- 
sible, throw him outward. 

29. Block an instant, and then come quickly around behind to 
drop on ball in case of a fumble on the second pass. If rarely 
fumbled in practice, follow the path shown in diagram. 

30. Block hard in the line, and with the left guard keep any one 
from coming through the tackle-guard hole on your side, while also 
attending to your own man. The latter is more important. 

31. This play is the reverse of E'o. 30. Bead the instructions 
given to right tackle for No. 30. 

32. Get down the field quickly under the kick. 

33. Do just the same as in 27. 

Instructions to Left Half-Back. 

26. Go across quickly and push behind runner. Be very careful, 
however, not to obstruct the pass. If opposing left end gets run- 
ner, arrange with quarter-back to start on signal for the snap and 
take the left end. It might be well to act similarly if the rush-line 
back stops the play, as he perhaps wdll. If the change does not 
work, however, go back to the first instructions to push behind 
runner. N'otify the quarter of any change in your play. 

27. You are solely responsible for the hole in this play. Take 
the inside man, if there is any, and throw him in. If there is no 
inside man, take the half-back as he starts toward the other side of 
the line. He is the dangerous man to the play. If there is an 
inside man, with half-back and quarter-back all in around the hole, 
call on left end to help you. Otherwise not. 

28. Do just the same as in 27. You are responsible for the hole. 
Take the inside man (if there is one) above everything else. On 
every play at this hole, in this series, you are absolutely responsible 
for any opponent who blocks in the line between opposing tackle 
and guard. 

29. Get off quickly and go across inside quarter. Take care, how- 
ever, not to obstruct his work. If you reach hole ahead of runner, 
go through ahead of him. Otherwise help him through. If you 
have a chance to go through ahead of runner, take tackle, end, or 
rush-line back. 

30. You are the ruimer. Get away very quickly and receive ball 
on a criss-cross from right half-back. The play is around the opi30- 
site end, and your blockers are the left end, quarter-back, and right 
end. You will probably find it easier to circle the end than go 
inside of it. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Bead the special instruc- 
tions to right half-back in that play. 



348 FOOTBALL 

32. Get down the field under the kick. 

33. The danger in this play is that opposing right guard will not 
be put out of the play. Get into him hard and low, and shove him 
back as much as possible and over on to centre. Stay with him. 

Instructions to Full-Back. 

26. You are the runner. The hole is just inside your right 
tackle. You have a strong pushing force behind you, so keep 
your feet as long as possible. 

27. The success of this movement depends on your ability to 
make the dodge. Practise it continually. Let your dodging step 
be made with the right foot and spring backward sharply from it. 
The first path (before the dodge) must be maintained long enough 
to draw over the opposing backs. Get the ball always before you 
dodge. For the line-up stand a trifle farther to the left than usual. 
There is a good wide hole in this play. Keep your feet, and play it 
as if for a long run. Run low after you dodge. 

28. Go on left side of runner, and push him hard and low. You 
can meet and steady him on his turn into the line. Try in prsictice 
going through once or twice ahead of runner, and taking the oppos- 
ing rush-line back. Change if it proves better. 

29. You advance slowly so as to be in the correct position for 
right half-back to simply transfer the ball from the quarter to you. 
He should not himself carry it forward a foot ; after receiving it, 
he passes it to you on a level with the pit of your stomach, so that 
there can be little danger of your fumbling. This play should be 
executed at lightning speed, and is entirely safe on a wet day. You 
pass behind right half-back, not in front of him. 

30. Do just as you do in No. 29, but pass behind the right half- 
hack, and go into the same hole in the line. Try and execute the 
play so that opponents shall think the second pass is to you. Keep 
out of runner's way. When through line, go straight for opposing 
rush-line half or quarter. 

31. This play is the reverse of No. 30. Do the same thing on the 
other side of line. 

32. A quick side kick. It ought to be placed out of reach of 
opposing full-back. It should be a long, low punt that will roll. 
Or it may be a short punt of twenty yards with good height. 

33. You cannot make this play quite as rapidly as No. 29. Your 
pass to the right end must be a short hand pass, not a toss. Start 
from a little to the left of your usual place. The play will need 
practice more than any other of this series. 



DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 349 

With these few words of general explanation we will pro- 
ceed immediately to the presentation of the diagrams, 
accompanying each diagram with a brief description of so 
much of the movement as is not clearly interpreted by the 
engraving, giving the precedence of different players travers- 
ing the same track, stating our own preference in certain 
cases for an interference ahead or behind the runner, and 
giving one or two hints as to the times and occasions when 
the play may be most successfully employed. 



350 



FOOTBALL 




re 



Play I 

Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 1 

[Plays I. to IX. inclusive are offered as suggestions for indirect attacks to 
supplement the usual direct attacks from this primary formation.] 

A dodge by the right half-back after receiving the ball. He 
should keep on his original path for an appreciable moment of 
time after the pass. The left half-back steadies him on his reverse, 
and then pushes from behind. The nearer the dodge is made to 
the line, without danger of contact with the centre, the more effec- 
tive it will be. Full-back crosses in front of left half-back. 

The ability of different players to execute a sharp dodge varies 
greatly, but in the hands of a light, quick-moving back this play 
should be very effective. 

In an important match on a rainy day this play should not be 
attempted. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



351 




I..H.B. 



a.H.B. 



r.B. 



Play II 



Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 2 

This is a good play for a team having an extra strong quarter- 
back, but in no other case should it be attempted. Few plays are 
more completely dependent upon the effort of a single individual, 
and the quarter alone can make this movement successful. 

The play is a fake at the tackle-guard hole. The ball is passed 
to the right half-back, who turns half round after receiving it, and 
blocking himself backward against his own line and interferers, 
passes the ball to the quarter-back, who circles the left end. If the 
play is successfully executed, the opposing right end will be drawn 
in and should miss the runner by about three feet. 

Right end interferes for the quarter-back down the field. 



352 



FOOTBALL 




R.HiS. ,-■ 



Play m 

Ordinary Formation : Outlet Xo. 3 

Ball to the left half-back, who dodges behind his interferers. 
The play starts as if the interference was to go around the end. 

In an important match on a rainy day this play should not be 
attempted. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



353 




P ©. 



Play IV 



Ordinary Formation : Outlet Xo. 4 

This play is based on a double pass, and is a fairly strong attack. 
With practice, it is entirely safe for a wet day. 

The first pass is to the left half-back, who passes again to the 
right half-back for a run through the tackle-guard hole. The pass 
should be a hand-pass, — not a throw, — and the ball should be 
delivered to the second runner directly in the pit of the stomach. 
The right half-back does not move until he gets the ball, unless to 
take one step backward. The play is ostensibly a round-the-end 
attack. The left tackle blocks an instant, and then comes around 
in a position to drop on the ball if it should be fumbled in the 
second pass. Full-back goes ahead of the left half-back. 



354 



FOOTBALL 




f.b: 



Play V 

Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 5 

This play is a little dangerous, but can be successfully worked 
with a clever end. 

The ball goes to the left half-back, and the entire interference 
starts as if to circle the end. The left end gets away instantly on 
the snap, and circles quickly to a position one and a half yards out- 
side of runner, and one yard behind him. 

The second pass must be made when the left half-back is oppo- 
site the opposing left tackle, and not a moment later. It should 
be a slightly backward toss of the ball, and the left end should be 
held responsible for being in the position where he can receive this 
toss at the moment it is made, which must be just before the 
opposing left end hits the interference. Practically the left half- 
back passes as soon as he can transfer the ball from one side to the 
other. The left tackle must block an instant, and come around 
quickly to fall on the ball in case the second pass is fumbled. 

This play need not be discarded on a rainy day. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



355 




I..H.O. 



A.H.ai 



ire. 

Play VI 

Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 6 

Ball to left end. 

The full-back steadies the left end, and helps to turn him into 
the line. Left half-back goes ahead of full-back. 



356 



FOOTBALL 




Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 7 

Ball to the right half-back. 

This must be played as a dive play, and not as a regular run with 
interference. The full-back should push immediately behind the 
runner, with the quarter-back pushing behind the full-back. 

The same play can be operated on the other side of the line. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



357 




a.ti.e. 



f.6 



Play VIII 

Ordinary Formation: Outlet ISTo. 8 

BaU to the full-back, with the right half-back as the principal 
pusher. Left half-back and quarter-back should get immediately 
into the push, reenforced by the two ends. The play can also be 
made on the other side of the centre. « 



358 



FOOTBALL 




Ordinary Formation : Outlet No. 9 



Ball to left half-back, who goes outside end. 

Form the interference carefully, and do not attempt speed at the 
beginning of the practice. The same play can be directed around 
the other end if desired. 

Right half-back and full-back must get off instantly, and put 
the opposing end out of the play, or it will inevitably fail. Strike 
him low and hard. 



/.DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 



359 




tae 



"R nji. 



Play X 
Close Formation : Outlet No. 1 

Ball to left half-back. Right tackle and right end engage oppos- 
ing tackle, and throw him outward. Right half-back and full-back 
go straight through the hole ahead of the runner, and engage oppos- 
ing rush-line back. Left end and tackle, with quarter-back, push 
the runner. 

Try also letting right half-back help right guard with his man 
instead of going straight through. 



^ 



360 



FOOTBALL 




L.H.8. 



hh;B 



Play XI 
Close Formation : Outlet No. 2 

Ball to right tackle. 

This is a difficult manoeuvre, and will require very careful rehears- 
ing. The paths of several players cross each other at a point just 
outside the position of left end. The order of precedence of these 
players should be as follows : left half-back (who, with left end, 
engages opposing tackle and throws him in) ; left guard (who 
engages opposing end, blocking him Qut) ; right half-back (who 
engages opposing rush-line back, blocking him in) ; right end 
(who, circling outside runner, engages opposing end, blocking him 
outward) ; the runner (who goes between end and tackle). 

Quarter-back blocks ofE opposing left tackle, or any opponent 
following behind runner. Left tackle and full-back instantly en- 
gage opposing right guard, the full-back crossing ahead of runner, 
right end, and right half-back. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



361 




Play XII 



Close Formation : Outlet No. 3 

A centre dive by the full-back. Right guard and right tackle 
engage opposing left guard and throw him out. Left half-back and 
right half-back make a feint attack against opposing left tackle ; 
left end, with quarter-back, pushes behind runner. 

When properly worked, this is one of the most effective of plays 
at the centre of the line. Another disposition of the labor is to let 
centre and right guard throw opposing left guard outwards, while 
right half-back, from a position a little to the right of his ordinary 
place, strikes the opposing centre without an instant's delay, and 
throws him to the left. The attack must be quick, and the more 
he can strike from the side the better. Left half pushes behind. 



362 



FOOTBALL 




't.M.B. '*. ^ 



«.H^ 



Play XIII 



Close Formation : Outlet No. 4 

Ball to right half-back. 

With a good dodging half-back this is, perhaps, the most effec- 
tive play in this volume. The dodge must be sharp and quick, but 
it must not be executed so soon as to fail to draw off the opposing 
backs toward the left side of line. The left half-back steps back- 
ward a trifle, timing his movement so as to grasp the runner 
strongly around the waist, and help him forward after his dodge. 
Left tackle and left end cross inside the quarter, and with the quar- 
ter and right end all engage the opposing left tackle and throw him 
outward. Right tackle, with right guard, blocks opposing left 
guard inwards. Full-back aids in the feint first attack toward the 
left side of line. 



DIAGEAMS OF PLAYS 



363 




L.H.8. PB. R.H.B. 
Play XIV 
Guard Back: Outlet No. 1 

The guard should line up half a yard in advance of the line of 
the backs, who should be five yards back ; any nearer distance will 
seriously hinder the effectiveness of the play. Ball to left half-back. 
The play is a simple round-the-end attack, but cannot possibly suc- 
ceed unless the interference is directed straight out across the field 
for some little distance after it starts. If allowed to work up 
toward the line of scrimmage in order to meet the opposing end, it 
will undoubtedly fail as often as it succeeds. 

Full-back and right half-back are the only players to go straight 
for the end. 



364 



FOOTBALL 




L.H.B. F.B. R.H.B. 

Play XV 

Guard Back: Outlet No. 2 

The pass is to the guard. Right tackle helps block opposing left 
guard. Right end engages rush-line back ; right half-back and full- 
back take the tackle ; left half-back, left end, and quarter push 
behind runner. 

This same movement should also be tried with the ball passed to 
the left half-back, who in this case is preceded by the guard. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



365 




Play XVI 
Guard Back: Outlet No. 3 

A short backward pass to the right half-back. Left end helps 
left tackle against opposing guard. Left half-back and left guard 
engage opposing right tackle. Full-back precedes the runner 
through the hole ; right end crosses sharply behind the interference, 
and prevents opposing right end from following runner and over- 
taking him from behind. 

Guard against a forward pass in this play. 



366 



FOOTBALL 




xKlcKs. 



L.H.B 



t.*B.'**'R.H.B. 



Play XYII 

Guard Back: Outlet 'No. 4 

Ball to left half-back for a side kick. Right tackle goes down 
field ; also left end, after a moment's blocking. The kick should be 
a high one, and not too long to prevent the assembling of two men 
around the opposing full-back when he receives the ball. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



367 





RT. RE. 



'.:-:::^U^^Z-'' 






L.H.B. 



Play XYHI 

Ends In: Outlet IsTo. 1 

Left end receives the ball from quarter, leaving his position in 
the line and coming close behind the quarter. In doing this he 
should get off as quickly as does the tackle when he runs from his 
position in the line. The pass from the quarter should be very 
short, and the quarter should go on with the runner. In the dia- 
gram, the right end and right tackle box the opposing tackle, and 
the quarter, as he comes with the runner, disposes of the rush-line 
back. Should the quarter, either from being too slow, or from the 
fact of the runner being an especially fast man, find that he cannot 
take this rush-line back, then the half-back may be sent against 
him instead of in the mass of interference at the end. The left 
tackle follows left end and makes the play safe from behind. 



368 



FOOTBALL 




f.B. 
Play XIX 

Ends In : Outlet No. 2 

Left half-back under full headway gets the ball on a short pass 
from the quarter. Right end helps right guard to crowd his man 
in. Right half-back aids right tackle in forcing his man out, while 
full-back precedes left half through the opening. Left end and left 
tackle follow behind and push while quarter goes in directly behind 
left half and practically attached to him. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



369 




LH.B 



•R.H.B. 



F.B. 



Play XX 

Ends In : Outlet No. 3 

Full-back receives the ball on a hand pass from quarter, and 
plunges directly through between centre and right guard, who open 
a hole for him. Both halves go in from behind and push while 
both ends follow the halves and add their weight and strength to 
the mass. Both tackles crowd their men out in order that they 
may be unable to help stop the push. 



370 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXI 



Ends In : Outlook No. 4 

As this play is intended to appear to the opponents similar in its 
formation to XYIII., XIX., and XX., the ends should, upon the line- 
up, take their positions close to the tackles, but may, and should, as 
soon as the play is started, slightly body-check the man most likely 
to interfere with the kick, and then make all haste down the field. 
Full-back and the two halves take the same positions as in the 
former plays, but full-back starts upon a backward run just before 
the snap, which should be properly timed, so that the ball is put in 
play and passed by the quarter to reach the full-back just as he has 
come to a standstill at the proper distance for a kick. After the 
ball is snapped, and not till then, the two halves take a step or two 
backward and out, and then protect the kicker in the usual way. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



371 




Play XXII 

Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 1 

The four plays from this line-up (Nos. XXII., XXIH., XXIV., 
and XXY.) will be found to be good ground gainers, and well 
adapted for use inside the opponents' twenty-five-yard line. They 
will be much more effective if the left end is a strong player. He 
takes his position at each line-up with his arms extended, and rest- 
ing his hands upon the hips of the right half-back. In all the 
attacks at the right tackle-guard hole, the right half-back is the 
apex of the movement. The formation should be very close to the 
line, and the manoeuvres should be executed as straight dive plays, 
without an instant's delay for the formation of interference. 

In the above play the attack at the right side of the line is a fake, 
but should be strongly made. Ball to left half-back ; full-back 
pushes. 



372 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXIII 

Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 2 

Ball to left end. This play will be found to be the strongest 
play in the series, if left end is a strong player. The right half- 
back pushes on the left side of the runner, and the quarter-back on 
the right side. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



373 





Play XXIV 

Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 3 

If this is executed strictly as a dive play, it will be found to be a 
very strong attack. The pass is to the right half-back. Left end 
is the principal pusher, reenf orced by the quarter-back and full-back. 
The left half-back executes a fake attack on the other side of the 
centre. Right end goes in ahead of the tandem, and must keep out 
of its way. 



374 



FOOTBALL 




Tandem on Tackle : Outlet No. 4 

The pass is to the full-back. Right half-back and left end go 
through the line ahead of the full-back, and clear the opponents out 
of the path. Left half-back is the principal pusher, reenforced 
by quarter-back and left tackle. Right end goes in ahead of the 
tandem. 



DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 



375 




Play XXVI 
Small Wedges : Outlet No. 1 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Ball to full-back. 

Opposing rush-line half is the dangerous man to this play. Right 
end or right tackle should take him instantly, whichever one is free 
first. This is imperative. As rush-line back can only meet run- 
ner, however, at or behind the line, the pushers behind runner are 
valuable. Left half-back must be careful not to obstruct the pass. 
If opposing left end interferes with runner, let the left half-back 
cross ahead of the pass and take this end. 



.370' 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXVII 

Small Wedges : Outlet No. 2 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

BaU to full-back. 

The left-hand wedge must make the hole, and left half-back is 
responsible for this. Let him call on the left end if needed. Right 
liaK-back should go inside the quarter and push opposing tackle 
outwards. 

If the dodge is well executed and sufficiently pronounced, the 
runner will find a large hole awaiting him. Let him bear this in 
mind and keep his feet at all hazards, executing the movement as 
if it was to be a long run and not a mere dive attack. This play 
need not be abandoned on a wet day. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



377 




Play XXVIII 



Small Wedges : Outlet No. 3 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Ball to right half-back. 

The full-back goes on the left side of runner, and engages oppos- 
ing right half-back. The tackle should be thrown back on to the 
opposing rush-line back, if possible ; otherwise throw him out- 
ward. Opposing right guard must be blocked hard and long ; left 
guard must not be thrown back so as to block the runner's path. 

The runner should remember that the hole is farther out than he would 
naturally expect. 



378 



FOOTBALL 





Play XXIX 
Small Wedges : Outlet Xo. 4 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Criss-cross from right half-back to full-back. 

This play should be executed at full speed. Left end and left 
half-back cross inside of quarter. Quarter helps right tackle on his 
man. The runner follows after quarter ; left end and left half-back 
follow behind runner and push him. This i)lay need not be aban- 
doned on a wet day. 



DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 



379 




Play XXX 



Small Wedges : Outlet No. 5 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Criss-cross from right half-back to left half-back. 

The runner goes inside the end, but otherwise as far out from the 
centre as possible. The three centre men must block hard and 
long, and not yield an inch, thus enabling the criss-cross to be exe- 
cuted as close to the line as possible. This play need not be aban- 
doned on a wet day. 



380 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXXI 



Small Wedges : Outlet Xo. 6 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Criss-cross from left half-back to right half-back. 

This play is a reversing of the previous movement, and should be 
brought oif in the same manner, the attack being directed at the 
other side of the line. This play need not be abandoned on a wet 
day. 



DIAGRAJMS OF PLAYS 



381 




,'Kttks. 



Play XXXH 

Small Hedges : Outlet Xo. 7 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Quick punt by full-back. 

The kick should be toward the left side of field, and a low, long- 
rolling punt. Being unexpected, it should prove effective. Every 
mail down the Jield on this kick! Left half-back and left end go 
down field immediately, without blocking opponents in the passage 
through the line. Xot less than four men should be gathered about 
the opposing full-back when he reaches the baU. 



382 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXXIII 



Small Wedges : Outlet No. 8 

(See fuller instructions upon this series in an earlier part of this 
chapter.) 

Criss-cross from full-back to right end. 

Follow paths exactly as drawn on diagram for second pass. The 
danger in this play is of having the centre thrown back. Left half- 
back must be sure that his side of the line is firmly blocked, to 
prevent a fumbled second pass. This movement should not be 
attempted on a wet day. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



383 




L.E. i^E. 

Play XXXIV 

Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 1 

Ball to left half-back, who falls in behind the full-back, and in 
advance of left end and tackle. Right half-back blocks opposing 
guard. Right end assists right tackle against tackle. Full-back 
goes ahead of runner to clear the path of opponents. 



384 



FOOTBALL 




L.TX^ L&.y^EN R**- R-T^A 



-" V / / J- 




LE. RE. 

Play XXXV 
Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 2 

Ball to left half-back, who receives it on his left side, and trans- 
fers it to his right side, half turning, and passing the ball (by a 
hand or " short " pass) to the left tackle, who circles the end. Full- 
back and right end should engage the opposing left end, getting 
outside of him if possible, and pocketing him. Right tackle blocks 
the guard. Right half-back instantly engages tackle. 

It will be better for the left tackle to keep close in to the mass 
and break away just before reaching the passing of the end. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



385 




LE. 



ae. 



Play XXXVI 



Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 3 

This is the strongest play of this series, and should be repeatedly 
successful for average gains of two or three yards. The ball is 
passed to the left end while he is going forward with the interfer- 
ence toward the right of line. He dodges at the point shown on 
diagram, and, assisted by right end (who has held his place), goes 
through between left tackle and left guard. Quarter-back, after the 
pass, helps left tackle block his opponent outward. Left half-back, 
right half-back, and full-back feint an attack on the right side of 
line, getting away instantly. 

The pass is made behind the full-back and left half-back, and not 
in front of them. 



386 



FOOTBALL 




Play XXXYH 

Five-Square Formation : Outlet No. 4 

This is an attempt to introduce an unexpected kick by the full- 
hack. Right end should instantly advance, keeping out of the way 
of the full-back as the latter drops back and to the right for a kick. 
Left and right tackle go down the field after a moment's blocking. 



DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 



387 




L MB. 



Play XXX^T:II 



Tackle Force : Outlet No. 1. 

This is an effective series, both outlets being unusually strong. 
Right tackle blocks his opponent on the inside. Left tackle 
plunges into opposing left guard, opening a wide hole. Left end 
engages quarter-back ; full-back, right half-back, and right end 
make a dash toward the end to draw out opposing rush-line back. 
The left half-back receives the ball on his left side, and until he 
has it he keeps on (for a step or two) with the full-back as if 
to circle the end : then makes a straight rush toward the line, 
going tlirough close to the guard's position. The hole is midway 
between tackle and guard. The relative paths of runner and full- 
back are as drawn in diagram. 

The play will be more effective if the runner is a small man, who 
will keep on until he cannot gain another inch. 



388 



FOOTBALL 




L.>1.B. 



Play XXXIX 

Tackle Fokck : Outlet Xo. 2 

An unusually strong play around the end of the line. Ball to 
left half-back. The play should be starred as quick as a flash. Its 
especial effectiveness lies in the fact that the runner is wholly 
protected except at the passage of the end. The space between 
tackle and end is amply covered ; a body of four interferers should 
accompany runner as he circles the end. 

Right-end must get off on the instant of the snap and engage 
opposing half-back. If the play is started with snap and dash, 
opposing right tackle cannot reach runner from behind. 



DIAGKAMS OF PLAYS 



389 




RB. 



Play XL 



Two-Play Formation : Outlet N'o. 1 

This is not in itself a movement of special value, but will serve 
to introduce the following play, which, in a critical situation, may 
be used with really surprising results. 

In the attack here shown the full-back helps the right end with 
his opponent ; left guard and left end, with the quarter-back, form 
the interference for the runner. Right half-back engages opposing 
left half-back ; right tackle eiigages opposing tackle ; left tackle 
engages quarter. Ball to left half-back. 



;]9u 



FOOTBALL 




F.B. 



Play XLI 
Two-Play Formation: Outlet No. 2 

Ball to full-back, who starts as if to circle right end, but, ou a 
sharp quarter-turn dodge, goes through line at the tackle's position. 

This will be found an unusually strong play. Right end blocks 
his opponent a moment, and then helps right tackle with his man. 
He must be careful not to detain opposing rush-line back, but let 
him through outside the interference. This player is really the 
dangerous opponent. The hole may be a little farther out than is 
expected. Runner can place his hand on left half-back to aid him 
in the dodge. 

Block the tackle in ; let the end and rush-line back through on 
the outside of the play. If the runner is caught from behind, it 
will be the fault of the left end, and he must stay longer with 
his man. Right half-back and right end must keep clear of right 
guard. If they collide with him they must change their path, 
giving him the shortest route. Left tackle must get off very 
quickly, striking the opposing guard hard and low, and blocking 
him long. 

If opposing left guard catches runner on his dodge, let right 
guard stay with him and keep out of the interference. 

In the interference as here formed the work of the right guard 
and quarter is to engage opposing left half-back and prevent him 
from reaching the runner. 

Do not be discouraged if, in a first attempt, this movement 
seems of little value. It is a play which will improve every time 
it is played, and should be good for a gain of three to five yards on 
repeated occasions. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



391 



\; 




R.E. 



Play XLII 



Trick Series : Outlet No. 1 — Double Pass 

This play is effective and not dangerous, but will need much 
practice. It may be played in either one of two ways. The pass 
may be to the left guard, who repasses it to the full-back. Or the 
pass may be made directly to the full-back, between the left half- 
back and the left guard. In the latter case the left guard must 
slow up slightly, and the left half-back get away instantly. This 
latter pass makes the play a trifle quicker. 

Let opposing left end, tackle, and rush-line back straight through 
the line. Block all other opponents strongly on a line with the 
position of the guard. The runner can then go straight to the 
line, piercing it at about the position of tackle. Left end should 
come around in time to fall on the ball if fumbled in the second 
pass. Right end is principal interferer for the runner after the 
passage of the line. This attack is very deceptive when well 
executed. 

The runner's path is protected by left guard, left half-back, and 
quarter on the right ; by right guard, right half-back, and right 
tackle on the left. 



392 



FOOTBALL 




Trick Series : Outlet Xo. 2 — Right-Angling the End 

Ball to left guard. 

An attempt to circle the end, with interference against the oppos- 
ing end from diametrically opposite directions. Right end should 
endeavor to reach his opponent an appreciable instant before the 
main interference reaches him, striking him liard enough to 
unsettle him and prevent his breaking the interference. Full-back 
blocks the end for an instant, but keeps on immediately against 
rush-line back. Left end must get into the interference. 

The position of the right end should be never less than Jive yards 
outside his opponent. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



393 




RB 



Play XLIV 



Trick Series : Outlet Xo. 3 — Long Pass 



A long second pass from left half-back to right end, who stays 
out as far as possible. Right half-back and right tackle block 
close and hard. Left half-back delays his pass as long as possible 
to draw opposing left end well in. Left end circles wide out as 
main interferer for the runner. He must be careful not to obstruct 
the pass. 

It may be necessary in this play for the left end to slightly 
change his position in order to reach the runner in time to be of 
any service. He must arrive in time to engage the opposing end, 
and prevent him, if possible, from reaching the runner. It may 
be well for him to slightly shift his position toward the centre, if 
necessary, to enable him to do this. 



394 



FOOTBALL 




Play XLV 
Trick Series : Outlet No. 4 — Quarter-Back Kick 

A quick kick by the quarter. The ball is to be recovered by 
the right end, who must keep on-side until the kick is delivered. 
Left half-back and left guard follow the paths indicated in the 
diagram, keeping well on-side until they know that the kick has 
been made. Full-back goes straight to the opposing end. 

This play can only be executed from the left side of the field, and 
the kick should be high enough to enable the right end to get 
under it and capture it if possible before it reaches the ground. 
Failing to do this, if close pressed by the opposing end, he should 
leave the ball to be secm-ed by his own left guard or half-back, and 
himself vigorously engage the end. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



395 




;R.H.B. 



L.H.B. 



T.B. 



Play XLYI 



Fake Kick 

This is the simplest form of a fake kick, in which the ball may- 
be passed to either the right or left half-back for a sharp dash 
through the tackle-guard hole. The tackle should find it easy to 
get his opponent in such a position that it will be impossible for 
him to go through inside of his position. As he starts to go 
through on the outside, the tackle can effectively block him off 
from the runner. 

The guard will have the more difficult task of blocking his oppo- 
nent and keeping him away from the runner. He should have the 
immediate assistance of the centre as soon as the latter can safely 
render that assistance. The guard should block his opponent on 
the outside, and be prepared to render the centre sufficient assist- 
ance to enable them mutually to block the man on the inside. 

The half-back should stand very close to the line for this play, 
and right end and left tackle should go sharply through to render 
him assistance as he emerges from the line. 

Be careful not to have a forward pass. 



396 



FOOTBALL 




L.HB. 



R.H.B. 




Play XL VII 
Fake Kick Criss-Cross : Outlet No. 1 



This is the first of a series of two plays in each of which the 
line-up is for a kick, while the play terminates in a run. 

In the first movement, as shown above, the full-back has dropped 
back for a kick, but the ball is passed to the left half-back, and, 
aided by strong interference, he carries it through the hole between 
right tackle and end. The dispositions are as follows : Right half- 
back and full-back take opposing end. Right tackle blocks his own 
man inwards. Right end goes through immediately and engages 
opposing half-back. Left guard, left tackle, and quarter-back form 
an interference for the runner as he circles into the line. Left end 
goes sharply through to assist runner as he emerges. 

This movement should be tried once or twice before disclosing 
the nature of the second attack, contained in diagram XL VIII. , 
which is the criss-cross. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



397 




L.H.B. \ 



/R.H.B, 



?.B. 



Play XLVITI 



Fake Kick Criss-Cross : Outlet Xo. 2 

As soon as the opponents have become a little familiar with the 
movement in the preceding diagram, this criss-cross form of attack 
should be tried. The line-up is the same, and the ball, as before, 
is passed to the left half-back, who, as he rushes forward into the 
line, repasses it to the right end. Left end and left tackle box the 
opposing tackle. Quarter-back and right half-back engage the 
opposing right end. Right guard and full-back act as immediate 
interferers for the second runner. 

The full-back should notice that his first movement is the same 
as in the preceding play. His dodge should take place immedi- 
ately after the first pass to the left half-back, and not before this 
pass. This will be in ample time for him to precede the runner in 
the interference. Right guard should not leave his opponent until 
he has successfully blocked him for a short interval, to prevent 
his interfering with the second pass. 

Right tackle blocks hard and long. 



398 



FOOTBALL 





R H.B. RE. 



Play XLTX 



Mass at Tackle 

This is a single play, but if successfully mastered it will be 
found very easy to develop a round-the-end attack from the same 
line-up. The pass is to the left half-back. The path of the runner 
is just over the spot where opposing left tackle stands, or slightly 
inside of that place. Left tackle is forced in by the combined 
attacks of the four players directed against him. Full-back 
engages opposing end; left end pushes behind runner; quarter- 
back (after the pass) keeps opposing right tackle out of the play. 
Opposing left half-back will undoubtedly misjudge the nature of 
the attack on the first trial, and be found outside the path of the 
runner. 

Right end and right half-back cross ahead of the full-back. 



DIAGRAMS OF PLAYS 



399 




L.H B 



R H.B, 



F.B, 



Play L 



Emergency Play (Risky) 

Special play for the last five minutes of a match, with a slightly 
adverse score. 

The pass is to the left half-back. Right end and full-back block 
the opponent who is next inside of the end. Left half-back, on 
nearing the line, repasses the ball over the head of opposing left 
end, to right half-back, who has gone as far as possible toward the 
side of the field. The play will require careful rehearsing in the 
matter of this double pass. 

Right half-back should not undertake to pass the full-back, but 
just before meeting him should make a running kick to the farther 
side of the field, where left tackle and left end must be already 
located. Right haK-back should then dodge the full-back and 
go straight down the field to put his team on-side. The ball can 
then be secured by either left end or left tackle, with a good possi- 
bility of a touch-down, if the movement has been successful up to 
this point. 



400 



FOOTBALL 




Play LT 



Side Line Play 

Special play when the ball is down close to the side line. The 
position of the ball should be close enough to the line to prevent 
the right end taking his customary place beside the tackle, and he 
takes position as shown on diagram. The play begins with a false 
start by the left half-back. He goes straight to the line, stopping 
there abruptly, as if discovering his error. Immediatehj upon his 
stopping in this position, the ball is snapped. The attack is appar- 
ently directed toward the long side of field, but under cover of this 
diversion a " short," or hand, pass is made to the left half-back, 
who starts from his attained position in the line and circles close 
behind the quarter and around the right end. Opposing left tackle 
(who is the outside man of opponents) is blocked inward by right 
tackle and right end. 

The runner must be careful, in the excitement of the play, not to 
swerve over the side line. 



CHAPTER XIV 

RULES OF THE SEASOX OF 1896 

Rule 1. (a) The game shall be played upon a rectangu- 
lar field 330 feet in length and 160 feet in width, inclosed by 
heavy white lines marked in lime upon the ground. The 
two end lines shall be termed goal lines. The goal lines and 
the side lines shall extend beyond their points of intersec- 
tion, and the spaces lying behind the goal lines and outside 
of the side lines shall be termed touch-in-goal. The goal 
shall be placed in the middle of each goal line, and shall 
consist of two upright posts exceeding 20 feet in height and 
placed 18 feet 6 inches apart, with a cross-bar 10 feet from 
the ground. 

(b) The game shall be played by two teams of eleven 
men each. 

(c) The football used shall be of heavy leather inclosing an 
inflated rubber bladder. The ball shall have the shape of a 
prolate spheroid. 

Compare corresponding rules in old code, namely, 12 and 
13, as follows : — 

Rule 12. The groviiids must be 330 feet in length and 160 feet in width, Avith a 
goal placed in the middle of each goal line, composed of two upright posts, 
exceeding 20 feet in height, and placed 18 feet 6 inches apart, with a cross-bar 
10 feet from the ground. 

Rule 13. The game shall be played by teams of eleven men each, and in case 
of a disqualified or injured player, a substitute shall take his place. Nor shall 
the disqualified or injured player return to further participation in the game. 

Rule 2. (a) A drop-kick is made by letting the ball fall 
from the hands and kicking it the very instant it rises from 
the ground. 

(b) A place-kick is made by kicking the ball after it has 
been placed upon the ground. 

(c) A punt is made by letting the ball fall from the hands 
and kicking it before it touches the ground. 



402 FOOTBALL 

(d) Kick-off is a place-kick from the centre of the field 
of play, and cannot score a goal. 

(e) A kick-out is a drop-kick, place-kick, or punt made by 
a player of the side which has touched the ball down in its 
own goal, or into whose touch-in-goal the ball has gone. 

(f) A free kick is a term used to designate any kick where 
the opponents are restrained by rule from advancing beyond 
a certain point. If a side obtain a free kick they may put 
the ball in play by a punt, drop-kick, or place-kick, and their 
opponents cannot come within ten yards of the line on which 
the free catch was made. The kicker may kick the ball 
from any point directly behind the spot where the catch was 
made, on a line parallel to the side line. 

Compare Rules 1 and 22 of old code, which read as fol- 
lows : — 

Rale 1. (a) A drop-kick is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and 
kicking it at the very instant it rises from the ground. 

(b) A place-kick is made by kicking the ball after it has been placed on the 
ground. 

(c) A punt is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it 
before it touches the ground. 

(d) Kick-off is a place-kick from the centre of the field of play, and cannot 
score a goal. 

(e) Kick-out is a drop-kick, place-kick, or punt made by a player of the 
side which has touched the ball down in its own goal, or into whose touch-in- 
goal the ball has gone. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 1. (e) Leave out "or into whose touch-in-goal the ball has gone." 
Otherwise unchanged. 

(f ) A free kick is a term used to designate any kick where the opponents 
are restrained by rule from advancing beyond a certain point. 

As amended by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 1. (f) "A free kick is a term used to designate any kick where the 
opponents are restrained by rule from advancing beyond a certain point. If a 
side obtain a free kick they may put the ball in play by a punt, drop or place 
kick, and their opponents cannot come within ten yards of the line on which 
the free kick was made." 

Rule 22. A player who has made and claimed a fair catch shall take a drop- 
kick, or a punt, or place the ball for a place-kick. The opponents may come 
up to the catcher's mark, and the ball must be kicked from some spot behind 
that mark on a parallel to touch line. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 22. Substitute the following : " After a fair catch, the ball may be put 
in play by any player of the side having made the catch. It may be put in play 
either by a free kick or by a scrimmage, the point of scrimmage being at the 
catcher's mark. If by a free kick, the opponents must not advance beyond the 
catcher's mark, and the ball must be kicked from some point behind that mark 
on a parallel with the touch line." 

As amended by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 22. This rule is stricken out by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell, and 
is supplied by Rule 1, section/, and Rule 8, supra. 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 403 

As will be noted, the principal alteration lies in the free 
kick clause. A player may — see later rules — heel the ball 
or run with it. If he heel it, the opponents retire ten yards. 

Rule 3. The ball goes out of bounds when it crosses the 
side line, or when the holder puts part of either foot across 
or on that line. The side line is out of bounds, and the goal 
line is in goal. 

Compare Rule 2 of the old code. 

Rule 2. (a) In touch means out of bounds. 

(b) A fair is putting the ball in play from touch. 

Rule 18. The ball goes in touch when it crosses the side line, or when the 
holder puts part of either foot across or on that line. The touch line is in 
touch, and the goal line is in goal. 

The term " out of bounds " is used throughout the new 
code in place of " in touch." 

Rule 4. A foul is any violation of a rule. 
This is identical with Eule 3 of the old code. 

Rule 3. A foul is any violation of a rule. 

Rule 5. (a) A touch-down is made when the ball is carried, 
kicked, or passed across the goal line and there held either 
in goal or touch-in-goal. The point where the touch-down is 
marked, however, is not where the ball is carried across the 
line, but where the ball is fairly held or called " down." 

(b) A safety is made when a player guarding his goal 
receives the ball from a player of his own side, either by a 
pass, a kick, or a snap-back, and then touches it down behind 
his goal line ; or when he himself carries the ball across his 
own goal line and touches it down ; or when he puts the ball 
into his own touch-in-goal 5 or when the ball, being kicked 
by one of his own side, bounds back from an opponent across 
the goal line, and he then touches it down. 

(c) A touch-back is made when a player touches the ball 
to the ground behind his own goal, the impetus which sent 
the ball across the line having been received from an op- 
ponent. 

The old code Eule 4 is the same. 

Exile 4. (a) A touch-down is made when the ball is carried, kicked, or passed 
across the goal line and there held either in goal or touch-in-goal. The point 
where the touch-down is marked, however, is not necessarily where the ball is 
carried across the line, but where the ball is fairly held or called " down." 

(b) A safety is made when a player, guarding his goal, receives the ball from 



404 FUOTiiALL 

u player of his own side, either by a pass, a kick, or a snap-back, and then 
touches it down behind his goal line, or when he himself carries the ball across 
his own goal line and touches it down, or when he puts the ball into his own 
touch-in-goal, or when the ball, being kicked by one of his own side, bounds 
back from an opi)onent across the goal line, and he then touches it down. 

(c) A touch-back is made when a player touches the ball to the ground 
behind his own goal, the Impetus which sent the ball across the line having 
been received from an opponent. 

Rule 6. A punt-out is a punt made by a player of the side 
whicli has made a touch-down to one of his own side for a 
fair catch. 

Identical with old Eule 5. 

Rule 5. A punt-out is a punt made by a player of the side which has made a 
touch-down in its opponents' goal, to another of his own side for a fair catch. 

Rule 7. A scrimmage takes place when the holder of the 
ball places it upon the ground and puts it in play by kicking 
it forward or snapping it back. 

Identical with old Rule 7. 

Jtide 7. A scrimmage takes place when the holder of the ball puts it down on 
the ground, and puts it in play by kicking it forward or snapping it back. 

Rule 8. A fair catch is a catch made direct from a kick 
by one of the opponents, or from a punt-out by one of the 
same side, provided the man while making the catch makes 
a mark with his heel, and no other of his side has touched 
the ball. If he be interfered wdth by an opponent who is off- 
side, or if he be thrown after catching the ball, unless he has 
advanced beyond his mark, he shall be given fifteen yards. 

See Rule 8 (also Rule 29) of the old code, which reads as 
follows : — 

/iule 8. A fair catch is a catch made direct from a kick by one of the oppo- 
nents (or a punt-out by one of the same side), provided the man intending to 
make the catch indicates that intention by holding up his hand when running 
for the ball, and also makes a mark with his heel upon catching it, and no other 
of his side touches the ball. If he be interfered Avith by an op])onent who is off- 
side, or if he be thrown after catching the ball, he shall be given fifteen yards, 
unless this carry the ball across the goal line. In that case he shall be given 
but half the intervening distance. After having raised his hand he cannot run 
with the ball, but must take his fair catch if he succeed in making one. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 8. Substitute the following : " A fair catch is a catch made direct from 
a kick by one of the opponents, or from a punt-out by one of the same side, 
l^rovided the man making the catch makes a mark with his heel and does not 
advance beyond that mark, and no other of his side has touched the ball. If he 
be interfered with by an opponent who is off-side, or if he be thrown after 
catching the ball, he shall be given fifteen yards, unless this carry the ball across 
the goal line; in that case he shall be given but half the intervening distance." 

As amended by Harvard. Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 8. " A fair catch is a catch made direct from a kick by one of the oppo- 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 405 

nents (or a punt-out by one of the same side), provided no other of the catcher's 
side touches the ball. If the player be interfered with while attempting to 
catch the ball by an opponent who is off-side, or if he be thrown after catching 
the ball, he shall be given fifteen yards. After having caught the ball, he can- 
not run with it, but may pass it to one of his own side who can run with it or 
kick it, otherwise it must be put in play at the spot where the fair catch is 
made, either from a scrimmage, as jjrovided in Rules 7 and 30, or by a free 
kick, as provided in Rule 1 (f ). In case the ball is muffed, the opponents shall 
have an equal chance at the ball." 

Rale 29. If a player when off-side interferes with an opponent trying for 
a fair catch by touching him or the ball, or waving his hat or hands, or deliber- 
ately getting in his way, the opponent may have an advance of fifteen yards 
and a free kick, or down, from where the interference occurred. 

As noted earlier, a player may exercise his judgment as 
to heeling the ball, but if he does heel it, the opponents are 
subject to a penalty of fifteen yards if they throw him. 
They are also subject to the same penalty if they interfere 
with him when trying to make his catch. 

Rule 9. A goal consists in kicking the ball in any way 
except by a punt from the field of play over the cross-bar of 
the opponents' goal. If the ball pass directly over one of the 
uprights it shall count a goal. 

See Eule 6 of the old code. 

Rule 6. A goal is obtained by kicking the ball, in any way except a punt, 
from the field of play, over the cross-bar or post of the opponents' goal. 

The change is merely in the wording. 
Rule 10. Charging is rushing forward to seize the ball or 
tackle a player. 

The same as Eule 9 of the old. 

Rule 9. Charging is rushing forward to seize the ball or tackle a player. 

Rule 11. Off-side. 

(a) If a player be in the opponents' territory when the 
ball is put in play he is off-side. 

(b) A player is put off-side if the ball in play has last been 
touched by one of his own side behind him. No player when 
off-side shall touch the ball except on a fumble in a scrim- 
mage, nor with his hands or arms interrupt or obstruct an 
opponent until again on-side. No player can, however, be 
called off-side in his own goal. 

(c) A player being put off-side is put on-side when the 
ball has touched an opponent, or when one of his own side 
has run in front of him, either with the ball or having been 
the last player to touch it when behind him. 



40() FOOTBALL 

(d) If a player when off-side touch the ball inside the 
ojjponents' ten-yard line, the ball shall go as a touch-back to 
the opponents. 

This covers Kule 24 of the old set. 

Rule 24. (a) A player is put off-side if, during a scrimmage, he get in 
front of the ball, or if the ball has been last touched by one of his own side 
behind him. No player can, however, be called off-side in his own goal. No 
player when olf-side shall touch the ball, or with his hands or arms interrupt 
or obstruct an opponent until again on-side. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 24. (a) Substitute the following : " A player is put off-side if, during a 
scrimmage, he get in front of the ball, or if the ball has been last touched by one 
of his own side behind him. No player can, however, be called off-side in his 
own goal. No player, when off-side, shall touch the ball, except on fumble in 
scrimmage, nor with his hands or arms interrupt or obstruct an opponent, 
until again on-side." 

Sections b and c of Rule 24 remain unchanged. 

(b) A player being off-side is put on-side when the ball has touched an oppo- 
nent, or when one of his own side has run in front of him, either with the ball 
or having been the last player to touch it when behind him, 

(c) If a player when off-side touch the ball inside the opponents' ten-yard 
line, the ball shall go as a touch-back to the opponents. 

The two rules amount to the same thing, the alteration 
being in the wording, in order to make on and off side play 
more clear. 

Rule 12. The ball is dead. 

(a) Whenever the umpire or referee blows his whistle or 
declares a down. 

(b) When a goal has been obtained. 

(c) When a touch-down, safety, or touch-back has been 
made. 

(d) When a fair catch has been heeled. 

(e) When it has been downed after going out of bounds 
or into touch-in-goal. 

No play can be made while the ball is dead, except to put 
it in play by rule. 
See old Eule 11. 

Rule 11. The ball is dead — 

I. When the holder has cried down, or when the referee has called a down, 
or when the umpire has called foul. 
II. When a goal has been obtained. 

III. When it has been downed after going into touch or touch-in-goal. 

IV. When a touch-down or safety has been made. 
V. When a fair catch has been made. 

VI, When time has been called by the umpire or referee. No play can be 
made while the ball is dead, except to put it in play by rule. 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 407 

Here, again, the force of the rule is the same as of old. 
Rule 13. (a) The officials of the game shall be an umpire, 
a referee, and a linesman. 

(b) The umpire is the judge of the conduct of the players, 
and his decision is final regarding fouls and unfair tactics, 
except in the cases mentioned in (d). The umpire may 
appeal to both the referee and linesman for testimony in all 
cases of fouls seen by them, and it shall be their duty to 
volunteer their testimony in all cases prescribed in 30 (a) ; 
but they cannot be appealed to upon these points by the 
captains or players. 

(c) The umpire shall permit no coaching, either by sub- 
stitutes, coaches, or any one inside the ropes. If such coach- 
ing occur, he shall warn the offender, and upon the second 
offense must have him sent behind the ropes for the re- 
mainder of the game. 

(d) The referee shall see that the ball is put in play prop- 
erly, and he shall be judge of its position and progress. He 
is also the judge of forward passes, and of running with the 
ball by the quarter-back. His decision is final in all points 
not covered by the umpire. 

The referee may appeal to both the umpire and linesman 
for testimony upon all points within his jurisdiction. 

(e) Both umpire and referee shall use whistles to indicate 
the cessation of play on fouls and downs. 

(f) The linesman shall, under the supervision of the 
referee, mark the distance gained or lost in the progress of 
the play, and he shall give testimony as prescribed above. 
He shall also, under direction of the referee, keep the time, 
and shall use a stop-watch for so doing. 

(g) Only one official representative for each side shall 
come upon the field of play in case of an accident to a 
player. 

This corresponds to Eules 14 and 15 of the old code. 

Rule 14. There shall be an umpire, a referee, and a linesman. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 14. Substitute the following : 

" (a) The officials of the game shall be an umpire, a referee, and a linesman. 
The linesman shall have an assistant. 

" (b) Any official may disqualify a player under the rules, subject to the 
approval of the umpire. 



408 FOOTBALL 

" (,0) The umpire alone can be appealed to by the captains regarding fouls 
aiul unfair tactics. 

*' (d) No appeal can be made except through the captain. 

" (e) The three officials shall formulate ground rules, prior to each game, 
governing the disposition of the ball in case it touch or be obstructed by some 
person or object surrounding the field of play. The referee shall announce 
such rules to the captains before calling play." 

As amended by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 14. '• There shall be two umpires, a referee, and a linesman, who shall 
be nominated by the captains and confirmed by the Faculty Athletic Committees 
of the respective universities." 

Hide 15. (a) The umpire is the judge of the conduct of the players, and his 
decision is tinal regarding fou\s and unfair tactics. The umpire may appeal to 
both the linesman and referee for testimony in cases of unnecessary rough- 
ness, off-side play, or holding ; but they shall not volunteer their opinion, nor 
can they be appealed to upon these points hy the captains or players. 

(b) The referee is Judge of the position and progress of the ball, and his 
decision is final in all points not covered by the umpire. 

(c) Both umpire and referee shall use whistles to indicate cessation of play 
on fouls and downs. The linesman shall use a stop-watch in timing the game. 

(d) The umpire shall permit no coaching, either by substitutes, coaches, or 
any one inside the ropes. If such coaching occur, he shall warn the offender, 
and upon the second offense must have him sent behind the ropes for the 
remainder of the game. 

(e) The linesman shall, under the advice of the referee, mark the distance 
gained or lost in the progress of the play, and upon request of the umpire shall 
give testimony upon any unnecessary roughness or side-play, or holding; but 
he may not be appealed to by any player or captain. He shall also, under the 
direction of the referee, keep the time. 

(f ) Only one official representative for each side shall come upon the field of 
play in case of an accident to a player. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 15. Substitute the following : 

"(a) The umpire is the judge of the conduct of the players, and his decision 
is final regarding fouls and unfair tactics. The umpire may appeal to both the 
referee and the linesman for testimony regarding cases of unnecessary rough- 
ness and unfair tactics. 

"(b) The referee is judge of the position and progress of the ball, and his 
decision is final in all points not governed by the umpire. He shall have power 
as in Rule 1-4, clause h. 

" (c) Both umpire and referee shall use whistles to indicate cessation of play 
on fouls and downs. The linesman shall use a stop-watch in timing the game. 

" (d) The umpire shall permit no coaching, either by substitutes, coaches, or 
any one inside the ropes. If such coaching occur, he shall warn the offender, 
and upon the second offense must have him sent behind the ropes for the re- 
mainder of the game. 

" (e) The linesman shall, under the advice of the referee, mark the distance 
lost or gained in the progress of the play, and upon request of the umpire shall 
give testimony upon any unnecessary roughness or unfair tactics. He shall, 
under direction of the referee, keep the time. He shall have power, as in Rule 
14, clause b. He cannot be appealed to by the captains on any point whatever. 

" (f) Only one official representative for each side shall come upon the field of 
play in case of an accident to a player." 

As amended by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 15. " (a) The umpires are the judges of the conduct of the players, and 
the decision of either is final regarding fouls and unfair tactics. Either umpire 
may appeal to both linesman and referee for testimony in all cases of fouls or 
violations of the rules. 



• RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 409 

" (b) The referee is judge of the position and progress of the ball, and his 
decision is final in all points not covered by the umpire. He may appeal both 
to the linesman and umpires for testimony on all points within his jurisdiction. 
It shall be his duty to give testimony in all cases of fouls or violations of the 
rules seen by him to either of the umpires, who shall accept such testimony as 
conclusive, and forthwith impose the penalty for the offense committed pre- 
scribed by these rules. 

" (c) The linesman shall, under the advice of the referee, mark the distance 
gained or lost in the progress of the play, and it shall be his duty to give testi- 
mony in all cases of fouls or violations of the rules seen by him to either of the 
umpires, who shall accept such testimony as conclusive, and forthwith impose 
the penalty for the offense committed prescribed by these rules. He shall also, 
under the direction of the referee, keep the time. 

" (d) Both umpires and referee shall use whistles to indicate cessation of play 
on fouls and downs. The linesman shall use a stop-watch to time the game. 
The linesman shall notify the referee, who shall announce the close of the play 
in the first half and at the conclusion of the game by blowing his whistle, 

" (e) The umpires shall permit no coaching, either by substitutes, coachers, 
or any one inside the rope ; if such coaching occur, he shall warn the offender, 
and upon the second offense must have him sent behind the ropes the remain- 
der of the game. 

" (f ) After the game all questions of disqualification shall go before a com- 
mittee of four, to be chosen by the faculty or athletic committee of the two 
competing universities — two from each. The committee shall have power to 
disqualify for the remainder of the season, for a year, or for any longer time, 
according to its discretion. In case of a tie vote the committee shall choose a 
fifth member, and the decision of the majority shall be final. 

" (g) Only one official representative from each side shall come upon the field 
of play in case of accident to a player." 

Here a few of the duties of the umpire have been given to 
the referee. 

Rule 14. (a) The time of the game shall be seventy 
minutes, each side playing thirty-five minutes from each 
goal. There shall be ten minutes' intermission between the 
two halves. The game shall be decided by the final score at 
the end of even halves. Either side refusing to play after 
being ordered to do so by the referee shall forfeit the game. 
This shall also apply to refusing to begin a game when 
ordered to do so by the referee. The linesman shall notify 
the captains of the time remaining for play not more than 
ten nor less than five minutes before the end of each half. 

(b) The time shall not be called for the end of a half until 
the ball is dead, and in case of a try-at-goal from a touch- 
down, the try shall be allowed. Time shall be taken out, 
while the ball is being brought out either for a try, kick-out 
or kick-off, and when play is, for any reason, suspended. 

Is identical with the old version as in Eule 16. 



410 FOOTBALL 

Hide lU. (,ii) The time of game is seventy minutes, each side playing thirty- 
five minutes from each goal. There shall be ten minutes' intermission between 
the two halves. The game shall be decided by the final score at the end of even 
halves. Either side refusing to play after being ordered to by the referee shall 
forfeit the game. This shall also apply to refusing to commence the game 
when ordered to by the referee. The linesman shall notify the captains of the 
time remaining not more than ten nor less than five minutes from the end of 
each half. 

(b) Time shall not be called for the end of a half until the ball is dead ; and in 
the case of a try-at-goal from a touch-tlo^vn, the try shall be allowed. Time shall 
be taken out while the ball is being brought out either for a try, kick-out, or 
kick-off, and when play is for any reason suspended. 

Rule 15. No one wearing projecting nails or iron plates 
on his shoes, or any metal upon his person, shall be allowed 
to play in a match. Xo sticky or greasy substance shall be 
used on the persons of the players. 

Corresponds to Rule 17. 

Rule 17. No one wearing projecting nails or iron plates on his shoes, or any 
metal substance upon his person, shall be allowed to play in a match. No sticky 
or greasy substance shall be used on the person of players. 

Rule 16. The captains shall toss up before the beginning 
of the game, and the winner of the toss shall have his choice 
of goal or of kick-off. The same side shall not kick off in 
two successive halves. The ball shall be kicked off at the 
beginning of each half, and whenever a goal has been ob- 
tained the side which has lost the goal shall kick off. In 
the case of kick-off, kick-out, and kick from a fair catch, the 
ball must be kicked a distance of at least ten yards into the 
opponents' territory, unless stopped by an opponent. 

Practically the same as Rule 19. 

Rule 19. The captains shall toss up before the commencement of the match, 
and the winner of the toss shall have his choice of goal or of kick-off. The same 
side shall not kick off in two successive halves. In all cases where the rules 
provide for a kick, the ball must be actually kicked a distance of at least ten 
yards into the opponents' territory, unless stopped by the opponents. 

The word " actually " is omitted. 

Rule 17. At kick-off if the ball go out of bounds before 
it is touched by an opponent, it shall be brought back and 
kicked off again. If it be kicked out of bounds a second 
time, it shall go as a kick-off to the opponents. If either 
side thus forfeit the ball twice, it shall go as first down at 
the centre of the field to their opponents. 

Corresponds to Rule 20 of the old code. 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 411 

Rale 20. The ball shall be kicked off at the beginning of each half ; and when- 
ever a goal has been obtained, the side which has lost the goal shall kick oif . 
If the ball go into touch before it is touched by an opponent, it shall be brought 
back and kicked oif over again. If it be kicked into touch a second time, it 
shall go as a kick-off to the opponents. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 20. Substitute the following : " The ball shall be kicked off at the begin- 
ning of each half ; and whenever a goal has been obtained, the side which has 
lost the goal shall kick off. If the ball go into touch before it is touched by an 
opponent, it shall be brought back and kicked off over again. If it be kicked 
into touch a second time, it shall go as a kick-off to the opponents. If either 
side thus forfeit the ball twice without it going into the field of play, it shall go 
as first down at centre of field to opponents." 

The clause which, was added in the Yale-Princeton amen- 
dation has been adopted here to prevent such delay of the 
game as would occur from repeated kicking into touch. 

Rule 18. The side which has a free kick must be behind 
the ball when it is kicked. At kick-off the opposite side 
must stand at least ten yards in front of the ball until it is 
kicked. 

Identical with Eule 21 of the old code. 

Rule 21. The side which has a free kick must be behind the ball when it is 
kicked. At kick-off the opposite side must stand at least ten yards in front of 
the ball until it is kicked. 

Rule 19. Charging is lawful for the opponents if the 
punter advances beyond his line, or, in case of a place-kick, 
as soon as the ball is put in play by touching the ground. 

In case of a punt-out or kick-off, however, the opponents 
must not charge until the ball is kicked. If opponents 
charge before the ball is put in play, they shall be put back 
five yards for every such offense. 

Corresponds to Rule 23 of the old code. 

Rule 23. Charging is lawful for the opponents if a punter advance beyond his 
line, or, in case of a place-kick, as soon as the ball is put in play by touching 
the ground. In the case of a punt-out, however, not until the ball is kicked. 

A penalty, it will be seen, is added, directed at unfair or 
premature charging. 

Rule 20. A player may throw or pass the ball in any 
direction except toward the opponents' goal. If the ball be 
batted in any direction or thrown forward, it shall go down 
on the spot to the opponents. 

Identical with Eule 28 of the old code. 

Rule 28. A player may throw or pass the ball in any direction except toward 
the opponents' goal. If the ball be batted in any direction, or thrown forward, 
it shall go down on the spot to the opponents. 



412 FOOTBALL 

Hide 21. (a) If a player having the ball be tackled and 
the movement of the ball stopped, or if the player cry 
" down," the referee shall blow his whistle and the side 
holding the ball shall put it down for a scrimmage. As soon 
as a runner attempting to go through is tackled and goes 
down, or whenever a runner having the ball in his posses- 
sion cries " down," the referee shall blow his whistle and the 
ball shall be considered down at that spot. Any piling up 
on the man after that shall be punished by giving him fif- 
teen yards. 

(b) The snapper-back is entitled to full and undisturbed 
possession of the balL The opponents cannot interfere 
with the snapper-back nor touch the ball until it is actually 
put in play. Infringement of this nature shall give the side 
having the ball five yards at every such offense. 

(c) If in snapping the ball the player so doing be off- 
side, the ball must be snapped again, and if this occur three 
times on the same down, the ball shall go to the opponents. 
The man who first receives the ball when snapped back from 
the down shall not carry the ball forward unless he has 
regained it after it has been passed to and touched another 
player. 

(d) The man who puts the ball in phi}' in a scrimmage, 
and the opponent opposite him, cannot pick up the ball until 
it has touched some third man. " Third man " means any 
other player than the one putting the ball in play and the 
opponent opposite him. 

(e) If in three consecutive downs (unless the ball cross 
the goal line) a team shall not have advanced the ball five 
yards or taken it back twenty yards, it shall go to the op- 
ponents on the spot of the fourth down. "Consecutive" 
means without going out of the possession of the side hold- 
ing it, except that by having kicked the ball they have given 
their opponents fair and equal chance of gaining possession 
of it. No kick, however, provided it be not stopj^ed by an 
opponent, shall be considered as giving the opponents a fair 
and equal chance of possession unless the ball go beyond 
the line of scrimmage. 

(f) If the snapper-back kick the ball, no player of his 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 189 G 413 

side can pick it up until it has gone ten yards into the op- 
ponents' territory, unless it be stopped by an opponent. 

(g) When the referee or umpire has given a team a dis- 
tance penalty, the resulting down shall be counted the first 
down. 

Corresponds to Rule 30 of the old code. 

Rule 30. (a) If a player having the ball he tackled and the ball fairly held, 
the man so tackling shall cry " held," the one so tackled must cry " down," 
and some player of his side put it down for a scrimmage. As soon as a 
runner attempting to go through is tackled and goes down, the referee shall 
blow his whistle, and the ball shall be considered down at that spot. Any 
piling up on the man after that shall be pu.nished by giving him fifteen yards, 
unless this carry the ball across the goal line, when he shall have only half the 
intervening distance. The snapper-back and the man opposite him cannot pick 
out the ball with the hand until it touch a third hand ; nor can the opponents 
interfere with the snapper-back by touching the ball until it is actually put in 
play. Infringement of this nature shall give the side having the ball five yards 
at every such offense. The snapper-back is entitled to full and undisturbed 
possession of the ball. If the snapper-back be off-side in the act of snapping 
back, the ball must be snapped again, and if this occur three times on the same 
down, the ball goes to the opponents. The man who first receives the ball when 
snapped back from a down shall not carry the ball forward under any circum- 
stances whatever. If, in three consecutive fairs and downs, unless the ball 
cross the goal line, a team shall not have advanced the ball five, or taken it 
back twenty, yards, it shall go to the opponents on the spot of the fourth down. 
" Consecutive" means without going out of the possession of the side holding 
it, and by a kick giving the opponents fair and equal chance of gaining pos- 
session of it. When the referee or umpire has given a side a distance penalty, 
the resulting doAvn shall be counted the first down. 

(b) The man who puts the ball in play in a scrimmage cannot pick it up until 
it has touched some third man. "Third man" means any other player than 
the one putting the ball in i^lay and the man opposite him. 

(c) No momentum-mass plays shall be allowed. A momentum-mass play is 
one where more than three men start before the ball is put in play. Nor shall 
more than three men group for that purpose more than five yards back of the 
point where the ball is put in play. 

As amended by Yale and Princeton : — 

Rule 30. (c) Substitute the following : " In scrimmage, not more than one 
man shall start forward before the ball is in play. Not more than three men 
shall group themselves at a point behind the line of scrimmage before the ball 
is in play. Seven men or more shall be on the line of scrimmage until the ball is 
in play, except that the man playing the position of either end rusher may drop 
back, provided he does not pass inside the position occupied by the man play- 
ing adjacent tackle before the ball is put in play." Other sections of Rule 30 
remain unchanged. 

As will be seen, a necessary distinction has been made 
regarding what kicks give the opponents fair and equal 
chance of possession, and a provision has been made as to 
the centre-rush kicking the ball forward, stating how far it 
must go before his side can take it up. The next rule treats 
of momentum and mass plays. 



414 FOOTBALL 

Rule 22. (a) Before the ball is put in play in a scrim- 
mage, sliould any player of the side which has the ball 
take more than one step in any direction he must come to a 
full stop before the ball is put in play. 

Exception : One man of the side having the ball may be 
in motion toward his ,own goal without coming to a stop 
before the ball is put in play. 

(b) When the ball is put in play, at least five players 
must be on the line of scrimmage. 

(c) If, when the ball is put in play, five players, not in- 
cluding the quarter-back, be behind the line of scrimmage 
and inside of the positions occupied by the players at the 
ends of said line, then two of these players must be at 
least five yards back of this line. But all of these players 
may be nearer than five yards to the line of scrimmage if 
two of them are outside of the positions occupied by the 
players at the ends of said line. 

See Eule 30 of the old code, printed above. 

Bide 23. If the ball goes out of bounds, whether it 
bound back or not, a player of the side which touches it 
down must bring it to the spot where the line was crossed, 
and there either 

I. Touch it in with both hands, at right angles to the 
side line, and then kick it ; or, 

II. Walk out with it at right angles to the side line, any 
distance not less than five nor more than fifteen yards, and 
there put it down for a scrimmage, first declaring how far 
he intends walking. The man who puts the ball in must 
face the field or the opponents' goal, and he alone can have 
his foot outside the side line. Any one, except him, who 
puts his hands or feet between the ball and his opponents' 
goal is off-side. 

Is identical with Rule 31 of the old code. 

Rule 31. If the ball goes into touch, whether it bounds back or not, a player 
of the side which touches it down must bring it to the spot where the line was 
crossed, and there either 

I. Touch it in with both hands, at right angles to the touch line, and then 
kick it; or, 

II. Walk out Avith it at right angles to the touch line, any distance not less 
than five nor more than fifteen yards, and there put it down for a scrimmage, 
first declaring how far he intends walking. The man who puts the ball in must 
face the field or the opponents' goal, and he alone can have his foot outside the 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 415 

touch line. Any one, except him, who puts his hands or feet between the ball 
and his opponents' goal is off-side. 

Rule 24. A side which has made a touch-down in their 
opponents' goal must try-at-goal, either by a place-kick or 
a punt-out. If the goal be missed, the ball shall go as a 
kick-off at the centre of the field to the defenders of the 
goal. 

Is identical with Kule 32 of the old code. 

Rule 32. A side which has made a touch-down in their opponents' goal tnast 
try-at-goal, either by a place-kick or punt-out. If the goal be missed, the ball 
shall go as a kick-off at the centre of the field to the defenders of the goal. 

Rule 25. (a) If the try be a place-kick, a player of the 
side which has touched the ball down shall bring it up to 
the goal line, and, making a mark opposite the spot where 
the ball was touched down, shall bring it out at right angles 
to the goal line any desired distance, and there place it for 
another of his side to kick. The opponents must remain be- 
hind their goal line until the ball has been placed upon the 
ground. 

(b) The placer in a try-at-goal may be off-side or out of 
bounds without vitiating the kick. 

Corresponds to Eule 33 of the old code. 

Rule 33. (a) If the try be by a place-kick, a player of the side which has 
touched the ball down shall bring it up to the goal line, and, making a mark 
opposite the spot where it was touched down, bring it out at right angles to the 
goal line such distance as he thinks proper, and there place it for another of 
his side to kick. The opponents must remain behind their goal line until the 
ball has been placed on the ground. 

(b) The placer in a try-at-goal may be off-side or in touch without vitiating 
the kick. 

Very slight change in wording only. 

Rule 26. If the trial be by a punt-out, the punter shall 
bring the ball up to the goal line, and, making a mark oppo- 
site the spot where it was touched down, punt out to another 
of his own side from any spot behind the line of goal and 
not nearer goal than such mark. The players of his side 
must stand in the field of play not less than fifteen feet 
from the goal line. If the touch-down be made in touch-in- 
goal, the punt-out shall be made from the intersection of the 
goal line and the side line. The opponents may line up any- 
where on the goal line except in the space of five feet on each 
side of the punter's mark, but they cannot interfere with the 



416 FOOTBALL 

punter. The puuter cannot touch, the ball after kicking 
it until it strikes or is touched by some other player. If 
a fair catch be made from a punt-out, the mark shall 
serve to determine the position as a mark of any fair catch. 
If a fair catch be not made on the first attempt, the ball 
shall go as a kick-off at the centre of the field to the defend- 
ers of the goal. 

Corresponds to Rule 34 of the old code. 

Ilitlc .{4. If the try be by a punt-out, the punter shall brinj;- the ball up to 
the goal line, and, making a mark opposite the spot where it was touched down, 
punt out from any spot behind the line of goal, and not nearer the goal post 
than such mark, to another of his own side, who must all stand in the field of 
play not less than fifteen feet from the goal line. If the touch-down be made 
in touch-in-goal, the punt-out shall be made from the intersection of the goal 
and the touch lines. The opponents may line up anywhere on the goal line 
except the space of five feet on each side of punter's mark, but cannot inter- 
fere with the punter, nor can he touch the ball after kicking it until it strikes 
or is touched by some other player. If a fair catch be made from a punt-out, 
the mark shall serve to determine positions as the mark of any fair catch. If 
a fair catch be not made on the first attempt, the ball shall go as a kick-off at 
the centre of the field to the defenders of the goal. 

An immaterial alteration in the wording. 

Rule 27. A side which has made a touch-back or a safety 
must kick out, except as otherwise provided, from not more 
than twenty -five yards outside the kicker's goal. If the 
ball go out of bounds before striking a player, it must be 
kicked out again, and if this occur twice in succession it 
shall be given to the opponents as out of bounds on the 
twenty-five-yard line on the side where it went out. At 
kick-out, the opponents must be on the twenty-five-yard line 
or nearer their OAvn goal, and the kicker's side must be behind 
the ball when it is kicked, or be adjudged off-side. Should 
a second touch-back occur before four downs have been 
played, the side defending the goal may have the choice of 
a down at the twenty-five-yard line or a kick-out. 

Exception : Whenever a side has tried a drop-kick at the 
goal upon a first down inside the twenty-five-yard line, and 
the result has been a touch-back, the line of kick-out shall 
be the ten-yard instead of the twenty-five-yard line, in deter- 
mining the position of the opponents, and the kicker's side 
must be behind the ball when it is kicked. 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 417 

Corresponds to Eule 35 of the old code. 

Rule 35. A side which has made a touch-back or a safety must kick out, 
except as otherwise provided, from not more than twenty-five yards outside the 
kicker's goal. If the ball go into touch before striking a player, it must be 
kicked out again ; and if this occur twice in succession it shall be given to the 
opponents as in touch on the twenty-five-yard line on the side where it went 
out. At kick-out, the opponents must be on the twenty-five-yard line or nearer 
their own goal, and the kicker's side must be behind the ball when kicked, or 
be adjudged ofE-side. Should a second touch-back occur before four downs 
have been played, the side defending the goal may have the choice of a down 
at the twenty-five-yard line or a kick-out. 

Exception. . . . Whenever a side has tried a drop-kick at the goal upon a first 
down inside the twenty-five-yard line, and the result has been a touch-back, 
the line of kick-out shall be the ten-yard instead of the twenty -five -yard line, 
in determining the positions of the opponents, and the kicker's side must be 
behind the ball when it is kicked. 

" In touch " changed to " out of bounds." 

Rule 28. The following shall be the value of each point in 
the scoring : — 

Goal obtained by touch-down .... 6 

Goal from field -kick . . . . .5 

Touch-down, failing goal . . . ... 4 

Safety by opponents ..... 2 

Identical with Rule 36 of the old code. 

Rule 36. The following shall be the value of each point in the scoring : — 

Goal obtained by touch-down .6 

Goal from field-kick 5 

Touch-down, failing goal 4 

Safety by opponents . . . ' 2 

Rule 29. Before the ball is put in play no player shall lay 
his hands upon, or, by the use of his hands or arms, inter- 
fere with an opponent in such a way as to delay putting the 
ball in play. After the ball is put in play, the players of 
the side that has possession of the ball can obstruct the 
opponents with the body only, except the player who runs 
with the ball. But the players of the side not having the 
ball can use their hands and arms to push their opponents 
out of the way. 

Corresponds to Eules 25 and 10 of the old code. 

Rule 25. No player shall lay his hands upon, or, by the use of his hands 
or arms, interfere with an opponent, unless he himself or that opponent has the 
ball. Thiat is, the players of the side which has possession of the ball can ob- 
struct the opponents with the body only. But the players of the side which 
has not the ball can use the hands and arms, as heretofore; that is, to push 
their opponents out of the way in breaking through when the ball is snapped. 

As amended by Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Cornell : — 

Rule 25. " No player shall lay his hands upon, or by the use of his hands or 



^ 



418 FOOTBALL 

arms interfere with, an opponent before the ball is put in play. After the ball is 
put in play, the players of the side that have possession of the ball can obstruct 
the opponents with the body only, except the player who runs with the ball. 
But the players of the side which has not Ihe ball can use hands and arms to 
push the opponents out of the way in breaking through." 

Ihdc 10. Foul interference is using the hands or arms in any way to ob- 
struct or hold a player who has not the ball. This does not apply to the man 
running with the ball ; that is, the runner may push olT his adversaries. 

In effect, the rule prevents any pulling of men off-side or 
other "scrapping" in the line, of such a nature as would 
cause the centre to wait and not put the ball in play. 

Rule 30. (a) A player shall be disqualified for unneces- 
sary roughness, hacking, or striking with the closed fist. 

(b) If a player be disqualified or injured, a substitute 
shall take his place. The player thus replaced cannot return 
to further participation in the game. 

(c) For the offenses of throttling, tripping, or tackling 
below the knees, the opponents shall receive fifteen yards, or 
a free kick, at their option. In case, however, the fifteen 
yards will carry the ball across the goal line, they may have 
half the distance from the spot of the offense to the goal 
line, but shall not be allow^ed a free kick. 

Corresponds to Eules 27 and 13 of the old code. 

Ride 27. (a) A player shall be disqualified for unnecessary roughness, 
hacking, or striking with closed fist. 

(b) For the offenses of throttling, tripping up, or intentional tackling below 
the knees, the opponents shall receive twenty-five yards, or a free kick, at 
their option. In case, however, the twenty-five yards would carry the i)all 
across the goal line, they can have half tlie distance from the spot of the 
offense to the goal line, and shall not be allowed a free kick. 

R}de 13. The game shall be played by teams of eleven men each, and in 
case of a disqualified or injured player, a substitute shall take his place. Nor 
shall the disqualified or injured player return to further participation in the 
game. 

The wording is slightly altered, but the intent and efiPect 
are the same. 

Rule 31. (a) A foul shall be granted for any violation of 
the rules, unnecessary delay of the game, off-side play, or 
holding an opponent, unless he has the ball. No delay 
arising from any cause whatsoever shall continue more than 
three minutes. 

(b) The penalty for fouls, except where otherwise pro- 
vided, shall be, when the offending side has the ball, the 
immediate surrender of it to the opponents for a down ; or, 



RULES OF THE SEASON OF 1896 419 

when the offending side has not the ball, the advance of the 
ball ten yards. 

(c) The offended side may refuse to accept the penalty 
where it is to its disadvantage. But in the case of a run 
resulting, should it be over fifteen yards, that distance shall 
be the limit allowed. 

(d) Whenever the rules provide for a distance penalty, 
if the distance prescribed would carry the ball across the goal 
line, one half the intervening distance shall be given. 

Corresponds to Rules 26 and 3 of the old code. 

Rule 26. (a) A foul shall be granted for intentional delay of the game, oft- 
side play, or holding an opponent, unless he has the ball. No delay arising 
from any cause whatsoever shall continue more than three minutes. 

(b) The penalty for fouls or violations of rules, except where otherwise pro- 
vided, shall be, when the offending side has the ball, the immediate surrender 
of it to the opponents for a down, or, when the offending side has not the ball, 
the advance of the ball ten yards. In this, as in other penalties of a similar 
nature, if the distance given would carry the ball across the goal line, only half 
the intervening distance shall be given. 

(c) The offended side may refuse to accept the penalty where it is to its dis- 
advantage; but in the case of a run resulting, should it be over fifteen yards 
that distance shall be the limit allowed. 

Rule 3. A foul is a violation of any rule. 

The order and wording slightly altered. 



INDEX 



Accessories of coaching, 205. 
Accidental start, 320. 
Accidents, 42. 
Advantages, 46, 48. 
Advisory Committee, 72, 88. 
Aiding runner, 158. 
Alleys, 132. 
Assistance, 160. 
Association, 89. 
Association Game, 4, 10. 
Attack, 156. 
Attention, 120. 
Attitude, 238. 
Australian Game, 11. 

Backs, 54, 75, 102, 154. 

Ball, 18. 

Balanced line-ups, 176. 

Ball in sight, 119. 

Betraved signal, 243. 

Blackboard, 343. 

Blocking, 54, 108, 142, 209, 229, 240. 

Blocking-off, 54. 

Block game, 66. 

Block to masses, 100. 

Body-checking, 110, 112. 

Bounds, 25. 

Brains, 101. 

Branches of coaching, 187. 

Breaking through, 117. 

Brutality, 51. 

Butting, 54. 

Canadian games, 13. 
Canvass, 54. 
Captain, 101. 
Cause of defeats, 282. 
Caution to plavers, 180. 
Centre, 54, 110, 113. 
Centre trio, 54, 106. 
Change of quarter, 311. 
Changeable kev signals, 290. 
Charging, 54, 69. 
Classification of openings, 132. 
Cleats, 54. 
Cleanliness, 315. 



Coaching, 90. 
Coaches, 225, 232. 
College games, 16. 
Combination interference, 137. 
Combination signals, 288. 
Complete interference, 156. 
Concealed ball, 327. 
Condition, 244. 
Conference, 274. 
Confidence, 103. 
Construction of plays, 169. 
Cork-sci-ew, 55. 
Courage, 47. 
Criss-crosses, 237. 
Critical moment, 279. 
Cross sections, 266. 
Cross-bar, 55. 

Danger, 43, 258. 

Danger territorv, 258. 

Darkness, 328. ' 

Dash, 55. 

Dead and dead ball, 55, 65. 

Deceptive attitudes, 331. 

Defense, 140, 141, 159, 189, 199, 209. 

Defensive system, 191. 

Depression, 281. 

Diagonal blocking, 323. 

Diagnosing, 217. 

Diagram of plavs, 340. 

Diet, 79, 300. 

Difiiculties, officials', 335. 

Digestibility of food, 317. 

Dinner, 82. 

Disadvantages, 49. 

Discipline, 42, 229. 

Discussion, 93. 

Disposition, 342. 

Division of field, 257. 

Don'ts, 180, 183. 

Double passes, 139, 140, 237. 

Downs, 22, 35, 55. 

Drinks, 304. 

Drop-kicks, 55, 149. 

Early forms, 1. 



422 



INDEX 



Effect on players, 40. 

I'^gg, 55. ' 

Elation, 281. 

Eniergencv suggestions, 306. 

End, 30. 

End rusher, 55, 75, 96, 116, 152. 

Evening work, 83. 

Exchanges, 177. 

Exhortation, 234. 

Explanation of game, 18. 

Fair, 55. 

Fair catch, 25, 35, 55. 
Fakes and bluffs, 55, 319. 
Fake kick and dive, 326. 
Fake kick and run, 326. 
Fake kick criss-cross, 331 . 
Fake plays, 106. 
Falling on ball, 55. 
Field, 18, 20, 33. 
Field captain, 249. 
Field kick, 55. 
Field tactics, 55, 247. 
Final touches, 277. 
First half, 56. 
First Aveek, 221. 
Five-yard line, 20. 
Five-yard rule, 66, 128. 
Flying wedge, 56. 
Forwards, 56, 59. 
Food, 302. 
Foul play, 334. 
Fouls, 24, 66. 

Foundation principles, 120. 
Fragile men, 221. 
Free kick, 56. 
Full-back, 56. 
Fumble, 56. 

Gaelic game, 14. 

Generalship, 56, 247, 279. 

Getting through, 56, 229. 

Getting down, 56. 

Ginger, 56. 

Goal, 57. 

Goal kicking, 145, 146, 244. 

Goal line, 57. 

Goal tend, 57. 

Gridiron, 56. 

Ground, 256. 

Ground gainer, 56. 

Ground rules, 275. 

Guard, 57, 75, 99, 106, 113. 

Guard snap back, 321. 

Hacking, 57. 
Half, 59, 60. 
Half-backs, 57, 59. 
Handling the ball, 102. 
Head coach, 193. 



Heeling, 57. 

Heehng out, 57, 64, 126. 

Held, 57. 

Holding, 57, 127. 

Holding the ball, 146, 149. 

Hurrying play, 158. 

Individual blocking, 190. 

Individual positions, 96, 188. 

Individual work, 132. 

Information, 281. 

In goal, 57. 

Injury, 92. 

Injured men, 273. 

Instructions, 343. 

Interest, 94. 

Interference, 30, 34, 57, 97, 126, 134, 

135, 136, 137, 156. 
Intermission, 57. 
Interpretation, 333, 337. 
In touch, 26, 57, 67. 

Judges, 71. 

Keeping tabs, 205. 

Kicks, kicking, 28, 29, 31, 36, 59, 98, 

99, 107, 122, 140, 141, 244, 252, 253, 

297. 
Kick off, 21, 57. 
Kick out, 37, 57. 
Kicking territory, 258. 

Lacing, 57. 
Last appeals, 20, 21. 
Last day of practice, 272. 
Laxity, 141. 
Leader, 248. 
Leather, 58. 
Line breaking, 58. 
Line bucking, 58. 
Line interference, 135. 
Line man back, 319. 
Line men, 58, 157. 
Linesman, 39, 58, 71, 338. 
Line-up, 26, 34, 58, 274. 
Locating hole, 241. 
Longitudinal division, 260. 
Long interference, 129. 
Long pass, 324. 
Lunch, 80. 

Making play safe, 58. 

Management, 88, 89. 

Mass plays, 130. 

Maul in goal, 65. 

Measurement of interference, 138. 

Meetings, 274. 

Methods of breaking through, 127. 

Middle belt, 259. 

Moral factors, 273. 



INDEX 



423 



Morning work, 79. 
Muff, 58. 

Nervousness, 308. 
New England Game, 14. 
Nitrogenous ratio, 306. 
Nose guards, 58. 
Notoriety, 51. 
Numbering holes, 286, 
Number of tricks, 157. 
Number of signals, 58. 

Object of hole, 128. 

Off and on side, 21, 58, 67. 

Offense, 189, 195, 200, 209. 

Officials, 39, 70, 215, 276, 332. 

One sided line-up, 177. 

On the jump, 125. 

Opening door for enemy, 131. 

Opening holes, 126. 

Organizing team, 87. 

Origin, 1. 

Original Rugby game, 3. 

Overhead pass, 326. 

Over-training, 308. 

Over-trained men, 273. 

Oxford team, 9, 82. 

Pacing the distance, 58. 

Passing, pass, 9, 58. 

Penalties, 23, 58. 

Perfection of interference, 140. 

Phase, 58. 

Photographing plays, 208. 

Piling up, 58. 

PlacQ-kick, 59. 

Place kicking, 145, 244. 

Plan of game, 250. 

Play, 59. 

Play for certain sections, 262. 

Plays, 340. 

Close formation (4 outlets), 359-362. 

Emergency play, 399. 

Ends in (4 outlets), 367-370. 

Fake kick, 395. 

Fake kick criss-cross (2 outlets), 
396, 397. 

Five square formation (4 outlets), 
383-386. 

Guard backs (4 outlets) j 364-366. 

Mass at tackle, 398. 

Ordinary formation (9 outlets), 350- 
358. 

Side line play, 400. 

Small wedges, 344-349. 

Small wedges (8 outlets), 375-382. 

Special instructions, 343, 344. 

Tackle force (2 outlets), 381, 388 

Tandem on tackle (4 outlets), 371- 
374. 



Plays, continued. 

Trick series (4 outlets), 391-394. 

Two play formation (2 outlets), 389, 
390. 
Plunge, 129. 
Pocketing end, 327. 
Points, 59. 

Point out, point in, 59. 
Policy, 225. 
Positions, 19. 
Position of body, 120. 
Position of officials, 333. 
Practice, 80, 298, 300. 
Pretended fumble, 327. 
Primary work, 194. 
Progress, 196, 197, 198. 
Public school game, 2. 
Punt, 26, 59. 
Punting out or on, 31, 38, 59, 67, 142, 

148, 150, 239. 
Push plays, 59. 

Qualifications, 217. 

Quarrels, 233. 

Quarter-back, 29, 59, 64, 75, 101, 102, 

154, 210, 250. 
Quarter-back kick, 335. 
Quarter-back run, 329. 
Quickness, 120. 

Rainy day, 254. 
Rattle, 59. 

Referee, 39, 59, 71, 233. 
Rehearsals, 214. 
Relationships, 104. 
Responsibility, 124. 
Revolving wedge, 59. 
Right-angling end, 328. 
Right of way, 134. 
Rubbing down, 81. 
Rugby rules, 59, 63, 71, 73. 
Rules, 401. 

Appeals, 407. 

Ball, 401. 

Batted ball, 411. 

Captain, 410. 

Charging, 406, 411. 

Choice of goal, 410. 

Consecutive downs, 412. 

Dead ball, 404. 

Delay, 409. 

Delay of game, 418. 

Distance penalty, 413. 

Disqualification, 418. 

Down, 404, 412. 

Drop kick, 401, 416. 

Fair, 403. 

Fair catch, 404, 405, 416. 

Field, 401. 

Forfeit, 409. 



424 



INDEX 



RuLKs, vontinutd. 

Forward pass, 411. 

Foul, 403, 418. 

Free kick, 402, 411, 418. 

Fumble in scrinnnage, 406. 

Goal, 401, 404, 40G. 

Goal line, 401. 

Greasy substance, 410. 

Hacking, 418. 

Interference, 405. 

Intermission, 409. 

In touch, 403, 417. 

Iron plates, 410. 

Kick-off, 402, 410, 411. 

Kick-out, 402. 

Linesman, 407. 

Metal, 410. 

Off-side, 404, 40(i, 415. 

On-side, 40G. 

Orticials, 407. 

Out of bounds, 403, 414, 417. 

Pass, 411. 

Penalty, 418. 

Penalties, 419. 

Piling up, 412. 

Place kick, 401, 415. 

Placer, 415. 

Projecting nails, 410. 

Punt, 401, 415. 

Punt-out, 405, 411. 

Punter, 416. 

Referee, 404, 407. 

Roughness, 418. 

Safety, 403, 404, 416. 

Scoring, 417. 

Scrimmage, 405, 412, 414. 

Snapper back, 412. 

Sticky substance, 410. 

Stop Avatch, 407. 

Striking, 418. 

Substitute, 418. 

Tackling below the knees, 418. 

Team, 401. 

Third man, 412. 

Throw, 411. 

Three downs, 412. 

Throttling, 416, 418. 

Time of game, 409. 

Toss up, 410. 

Touch-down, 403, 404, 415. 

Touch-in-goal, 401, 404. 

Tripping, 418. 

Try-at-goal, 409, 415. 

Twcntv-five-yard line, 416. 

Umpire, 404, 407. 

Use of arms and hands, 417. 

Whistle, 404-407. 
Run, 59. 
Running, 212. 
Running kick, 330. 



Rush-line half, 59. 
Rushers or forwards, 56, 59. 

Safety, 60. 

Safe stop, 105. 

Sailer, 60. 

Scoring, score, 38, 60, 68. 

Scoring distance, 257. 

Scrapping, 60. 

Scrimmage, 8, 13, 21, 22, 60, 64. 

Scrimmage kick, 321. 

Second eleven, 91. 

Second half, 60. 

Second pass, 329. 

Second pass kick, 322. 

Selection, 101, 216. 

Selection of ofHcials, 276. 

Selection of plays, 275. 

Selection of tricks, 168. 

Self-control, 47. 

Sequences, 175, 294. 

Sequence of interference, 136. 

Sequence of team plav, 155. 

Series, 60, 293. 

Settle down, 133. 

Shepherding, 127. 

Shiftiness, 220. 

Shifting positions, 323. 

Shin guards, 60. 

Side belts, 260. 

Side lines, 60. 

Side line plays, 325. 

Signals, 84. " 

Signal, sign, 58, 60, 62. 

Sketching, 174. 

Sleep, 312. 

Slugging, 60. 

Small wedge, 60, 344. 

Snap-back, 60. 

Snow, 256. 

Soldier, 61. 

Speeder, 292. 

Spiral, 61. 

Spirit, 117, 193, 202. 

Split wedge, 61. 

Splitting a team, 91. 

Spread out, 61. 

Staff of coaches, 227, 248. 

Starting, 237. 

Starting number, 2, 28. 

Steadying the line, 102. 

Stiff line, 28. 

Stiffen up, 133. 

Strength of line, 242. 

Stretching line, 107. 

Sun, 255. 

Sympathy, 243. 

Tackle, 30, 61, 75, 98, 105, 106, 115, 
118, 153. 



INDEX 



425 



Tackling, 229. 
Tackle run, 120. 
Tackling dummy, 210. 
Tandem, 61. 
Team defense, 190. 
Team play, 61, 151. 
Team play line men, 157. 
Ten-yard line, 61. 
Tests, 95. 

Testing tricks, 166. 
Testimony, 338. 
Throttling, 61. 
Time, 61. 
Time out, 61. 
Time of game, 38, 68. 
Timing opening, 129. 
Timing passes, 208. 
Timing punts, 208. 
Toss, 34. 
Touch-back, 61. 
Touch-down, 37, 61. 
Training, 77. 
Training table, 316. 
Triangular relation, 104. 
Trick kicks, 144. 
Try-at-goal, 37, 61, 
Turning attack, 328. 
Two plays in one, 330. 



Twenty-five-vard line, 62. 
Twister, 62. ' 

Umpire, 39, 62, 71. 
Unexpected punt, 322. 
Unexpected kick, 324. 
Uniform, 27, 70. 
University Athletic Club, 72. 
Unsafe breaking, 123. 
Using the arm, 62. 
Using the hand, 62. 

Value of tricks, 161, 162. 
Vegetables, 304. 

Walking in, 62. 
Warding off, 62. 
War and football, 278. 
Warnings, 337. 
Watching a team, 219. 
Weather, 147. 
Weak-kneed friends, 226. 
Wedge, 59-62. 
Wedge on a down, 62. 
Weighing, 81. 
Wet ball, 255. 
Wind, 251. 
Word signals, 62. 



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